LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 26: Calum McFarlane, interim head coach of Chelsea, is pushed towards the Chelsea supporters by Reece James of Chelsea after the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Leeds United at Wembley Stadium on April 26, 2026 in London, England.
McFarlane, who’s only been at the club since last summer, is one of three Chelsea inside men expected to join in fact, alongside goalkeeper coach Ben Roberts and set piece supremo Bernardo Cueva.
Roberts and Cueva are two of the longest serving higher-profile members of Chelsea staff at this point, after the extreme chop and change of the past few years, first joining under Graham Potter (2022) and Mauricio Pochettino (2024), respectively.
(But don’t worry, everyone’s favorite masseur, Billy “Blood” McCulloch is still around, too, just as he’s been since 2001.)
Labaien is the only one who wasn’t with Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen as well.
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 26: Calum McFarlane, interim head coach of Chelsea, is pushed towards the Chelsea supporters by Reece James of Chelsea after the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Leeds United at Wembley Stadium on April 26, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images) Getty Images
Kinetic Foundation’s favorite son, Calum McFarlane has done a decent enough job as interim Chelsea head coach across his two stints this season, and for that he’s set to be rewarded with a spot on incoming manager Xabi Alonso’s staff next season, according to a report earlier this week from The Athletic.
McFarlane, who’s only been at the club since last summer, is one of three Chelsea inside men expected to join in fact, alongside goalkeeper coach Ben Roberts and set piece supremo Bernardo Cueva. Roberts and Cueva are two of the longest serving higher-profile members of Chelsea staff at this point, after the extreme chop and change of the past few years, first joining under Graham Potter (2022) and Mauricio Pochettino (2024), respectively. (But don’t worry, everyone’s favorite masseur, Billy “Blood” McCulloch is still around, too, just as he’s been since 2001.)
Alonso will be expected to bring along four members of his Real Madrid staff, including long-time assistant Sebastian Parrilla, plus first-team coaches Alberto Encinas and Beñat Labaien, and fitness coach Ismael Camenforte. Labaien is the only one who wasn’t with Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen as well.
