McFarlane says troubled Chelsea still attractive to potential managers

McFarlane is in his second spell as Chelsea’s stand-in manager this season following Liam Rosenior’s sacking on April 22.

Rosenior lasted just 106 days after arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca, whose 18-month reign ended in January following hints of a lack of support from Chelsea’s hierarchy.

Chelsea’s BlueCo owners are searching for their sixth permanent manager since buying the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

The west Londoners have had eight managers in the past 10 years, excluding interims, leaving Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali with a potential perception problem as they seek to lure a new boss to Stamford Bridge.

But McFarlane, who has led Chelsea to the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 16, is adamant his club remain a tempting proposition for top managers.

“I don’t think I have to sell that in all honesty, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world, with a great history of winning,” he told reporters on Friday.

“We’ve got some unbelievable players, some of the best players in the world, great training facilities. You’ve got everything you could want.”

Chelsea have been linked with Bournemouth’s outgoing boss Andoni Iraola, Fulham manager Marco Silva and former Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, among others.

But their hopes of luring a quality replacement for Rosenior will be hindered if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

McFarlane’s side are eighth in the Premier League, with only the top five guaranteed to reach Europe’s elite club competition.

The Blues are 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with just four games left, starting with Monday’s home clash against Nottingham Forest.

“We just have to keep winning our games. The mood has been lifted after a recent run of losses,” McFarlane said.

After reports of disharmony among Chelsea’s squad during Rosenior’s reign, McFarlane said Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro going to watch tennis in Madrid this week showed the team are still united.

“It says a lot of the group that they go away together. I love that they spend time together,” he said.

“They went to Madrid to watch tennis, I don’t see an issue. It is positive sign for the unity of the group.”