Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Sunderland will be Calum McFarlane’s final game in charge before Xabi Alonso takes over.
McFarlane has been managing Chelsea on an interim basis following the sacking of Liam Rosenior but will hand over the reins to Alonso.
Ahead of the Blues’ last match of the season, the 40-year-old has been speaking about Alonso’s arrival.
Robin Roefs and Brian Brobbey have both been linked to Chelsea. If you had to sign one, who would it be?
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Calum McFarlane suggests Chelsea’s academy played role in Xabi Alonso joining the Blues
After all the turmoil at Stamford Bridge this season, many questioned who would want to manage Chelsea.
However, Alonso clearly had no problem with accepting the job, and McFarlane thinks that was partly down to the club’s amazing academy.
Speaking about Chelsea’s youth set-up and Alonso, McFarlane told Kieran Gill and other journalists: “I don’t think I need to sell Cobham. I’ve been in academy football for 20 years and always competed against Chelsea. For me, it’s the best academy in the world.”
He later added: “Look at our captain. Levi Colwill. Trevoh Chalobah. These are players from Cobham. It is world-renowned. I’m sure Xabi knows that. It’s a massive appeal to come to this club, the amount of talent we have in the younger age groups. They train with us two or three times a week, so he will be able to see them up close.”
Whether Alonso taps into Chelsea’s academy or not remains to be seen, but what is guaranteed when the Spaniard takes over are transfers.
The reliable Fabrizio Romano has already revealed that Chelsea will “definitely” sign a new central defender this summer.
Reece James and Levi Colwill set to be starters under Xabi Alonso
As McFarlane mentioned, Colwill and Reece James are two Chelsea academy products who were able to make the step up to the first team.
Chelsea v Manchester City - Emirates FA Cup Final
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Under Alonso, there is no doubt that both players are going to be key players. A fit James is arguably the best right-back in the Premier League, while the 26-year-old has also proven to be a very effective midfielder.
As for Colwill, he is an excellent modern-day defender. Colwill can pass the ball out of defence, but he is also an aggressive centre-half who can handle some of the division’s top strikers.
In the FA Cup final, Colwill put in a solid display against Manchester City, containing Erling Haaland for most of the game.
If the 23-year-old and James can stay fit for the whole of the 2026/27 campaign, Chelsea are going to finish higher than eighth, which is their current position in the Premier League table.
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