Chelsea interim Calum McFarlane grabbed a 1-0 win against a disappointing Leeds United side over the weekend as the club fired themselves into the FA Cup final.
The West London side, who are looking for a new manager following Liam Rosenior’s abysmal 106-day tenure, have made a long list of potential replacements over the past week which includes the likes of Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.
Now, Porto head coach Francesco Farioli has ruled himself out of the running to become the next Chelsea manager after reports suggested that he could step in to replace Rosenior.
“I am the coach of Porto and I am really happy to be here,” he said after Sunday’s 2-1 win away to Estrela da Amadora.
He was also asked if he could guarantee to Porto fans that he would stay put even if Chelsea sent him an intriguing offer: “Yeah, absolutely.”
With 34 matches played this season, Chelsea sit eighth in the Premier League table, level on points with Brentford and Fulham in a finish that would see them without Champions League football.
After sacking Rosenior and Enzo Maresca this season, Farioli is clearly wary of the club as he seeks to stay with Porto where he has guided the Portuguese giants to the brink of winning the Primeira Liga title, their first since 2022.
This would be the Italian’s first major honour as a senior head coach and could trigger a move from the Chelsea board who are looking over every option heading into the summer.