Chelsea FC
From John Robertson to Thomas Tuchel: a history of 34 permanent managers, seven interims, and seven caretakers.
Chelsea Football Club have had 34 permanent managers/head coaches (four of whom also served as player-manager), seven interim managers and seven caretakers. The first manager of the club was John Robertson, who was appointed player-manager in 1905. Ron Suart and Calum McFarlane have served as both caretaker and interim manager. José Mourinho has served two different spells as permanent manager, while Guus Hiddink has been interim manager twice. Roberto Di Matteo was initially appointed as interim manager, but was later given the job on a permanent basis, while Frank Lampard was a permanent manager, and later returned for a short spell as interim manager.
- Founded
- 1905
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Chelsea's first ever manager was Scottish wing-half John Tait Robertson, who continued to play for the club until he resigned a year later. David Calderhead is Chelsea's longest-serving manager, holding the position from 1907 to 1933, spanning 966 matches. Chelsea's shortest reigning permanent manager is Liam Rosenior, who was in charge for 23 games. Statistically, Chelsea's least successful manager is Frank Lampard during his second stint. The first manager under whom Chelsea won a major trophy was Ted Drake, who guided the club to the league championship in the 1954–55 season, while Dave Sexton managed the club to their first European honour, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1971, and Gianluca Vialli guided Chelsea to win the 1998 UEFA Super Cup. Mourinho has won the most domestic titles, and total titles with the club (in fact, all titles won with Mourinho were domestic titles – eight in total); Vialli won the second most titles with five, whereas Carlo Ancelotti led Chelsea to their first league and FA Cup Double in 2010.
In Their Own Story
Di Matteo led Chelsea to their first UEFA Champions League title in 2012. A year later, Rafael Benítez led the club to the UEFA Europa League, and so Chelsea became the first club to hold two major European titles simultaneously and one of five clubs, and the first British club, to have won all three of UEFA's major club competitions. In February 2022, Thomas Tuchel led Chelsea to its first FIFA Club World Cup. He is also the coach to have won the most international titles with the club; all three of his titles were international.
Reader's Guide
Statistics correct as of 24 August 2026. This table of all managers includes performance records and honours. Key: M = matches managed; W = matches won; D = matches drawn; L = matches lost; GF = goals for; GA = goals against; GD = goal difference; Win% = percentage of total matches won. Includes competitive matches only.
Did You Know?
- Chelsea's first manager, John Robertson, was a player-manager appointed in 1905.
- David Calderhead managed Chelsea for 966 matches, from 1907 to 1933.
- Liam Rosenior is Chelsea's shortest reigning permanent manager, in charge for 23 games.
- José Mourinho won eight domestic titles with Chelsea, all of his titles with the club.
- Thomas Tuchel is the coach to have won the most international titles with Chelsea, all three of his titles being international.
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