Former Chelsea players Filipe Luis and Cesc Fabregas are the early front-runners to replace Liam Rosenior after he was sacked following a fifth successive Premier League defeat.
A 3-0 thrashing by Brighton on Tuesday saw the Blues drop to seventh, seven points adrift of fifth-placed Liverpool having played a game more, and proved to be the final straw for Rosenior's ill-fated reign.
The 41-year-old only replaced Enzo Maresca in January and leaves just four months into a six-and-a-half-year contract.
Under-23s coach Calum McFarlane will take charge until the end of the season, starting with Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley.
By the time Chelsea return to top-flight action next month it is not impossible that they are in the bottom half of the table.
Next permanent Chelsea manager odds (via Betfair)
- Filipe Luis 5/4
- Cesc Fabregas 5/2
- Oliver Glasner 10/3
- Andoni Iraola 5/1
- Xavi Hernandez 15/2
- Marco Silva 9/1
- Unai Emery 14/1
- Frank Lampard 14/1
- Fabian Hurzeler 16/1
- Xabi Alonso 16/1
- Luis Enrique 20/1
- Julian Nagelsmann 22/1
- Kjetil Knutsen 25/1
- 33/1 bar
"On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, we would like to place on record our gratitude to Liam and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club," read a club statement.
"Liam has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism following his appointment midway through the season.
"This has not been a decision the club has taken lightly, however recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season. Everyone at Chelsea FC wishes Liam every success in the future."
Rosenior won his opening four league games, but his spell quickly became nothing short of a disaster.
Not only did his side drop alarmingly down the Premier League table, they were embarrassed 8-2 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16 by Paris Saint-Germain.
He leaves having lost 10 of his 23 matches at the helm.
🧠 Cesc Fàbregas has got Como playing like prime Barcelona. ⚽️💙 pic.twitter.com/fy7LaA3Sc1
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) April 4, 2026
It should come as no surprise that Fabregas features strongly in the early betting having drawn huge praise for his work with Italian side Como in what is his first managerial role.
The former Spain, Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder won promotion from Serie B last season and now has them sitting fifth in Serie A with just five matches of the season to play.
Filipe Luis entered management only a couple of months after his former team-mate, with the Brazilian taking over at Flamengo in his homeland in September 2024.
He led the club to Copa Libertadores victory - the South American equivalent of the Champions League - in 2025 but was sacked in March of this year after 18 months in charge.
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