Who captains Chelsea is suddenly a live debate again. The general rule whenever Reece James is not on the pitch or injured (as he happens to be now) is that Enzo Fernandez wears the armband, but the course of recent events makes that feel like an awkward proposition.
Fernandez has been internally disciplined with a two-match ban for fuelling speculation of a summer transfer to Real Madrid in several media appearances during the March international break, having already criticised Chelsea’s decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca and cast doubt upon his future in the wake of his team’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
He sat out Chelsea’s 7-0 win over Port Vale in the FA Cup on Saturday and is also set to be out of the squad when Manchester City visit Stamford Bridge in the Premier League next weekend.
Even once he returns, it is far from clear that he will retain his second spot in the hierarchy of captains on the pitch. Chelsea sources, speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships, insist he was only ever one of several co-captains within the leadership group, rather than enjoying formal vice-captain status.
Fortunately for head coach Liam Rosenior, this Chelsea squad is famously awash with grizzled, inspirational leaders of men… ah.
OK, so this isn’t exactly the version of Chelsea who laid waste to the Premier League in 2009-10 with six different national-team captains regularly in their starting XI (have fun naming them in the comments). There are, however, several credible candidates who might want the responsibility for the rest of this season and beyond if Fernandez is deemed unworthy of it.
Let’s take a (not entirely serious) look…
Captain Contingency: Moises Caicedo
Caicedo would be the logical pick. He has been the next man up on the rare occasions when James and Fernandez are both off the pitch, and is expected to captain Chelsea against City.
He is every bit as emblematic of this BlueCo project as the Argentine and his approval rating among Chelsea supporters is much higher, despite the fact that his form has dipped noticeably in recent months — and he was less than entirely full-throated about his own future when quizzed by Spanish newspaper AS about the merits of one day playing for Real Madrid.
The only other potential captaincy demerit is that Caicedo may not even be available when Fernandez makes his expected return against Manchester United on April 18. If the Ecuadorian gets his 10th yellow card of the season against City, he will incur a two-match Premier League suspension.
Moises Caicedo is a popular figure among Chelsea fans (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Captain Cobham: Trevoh Chalobah/Levi Colwill
They just get it. Two Cobham graduates who, like James, have managed to carve out important roles in this Chelsea squad in the pure profit era, Chalobah and Colwill are both growing leaders who are respected in the dressing room and popular with matchgoing fans. Both have worn the armband before and their credentials and commitment are not in question.
Colwill is back in full training as he nears the end of his lengthy rehabilitation from the ACL injury he sustained in August, but Chelsea are understandably being extremely cautious with the 23-year-old’s recovery, and James may well be available again before he is ready. Chalobah is also sidelined with a high ankle sprain and may be on a similar timeframe to James.
Captain Talisman: Cole Palmer
“Long time coming,” Palmer said with a smile when asked about captaining Chelsea for the first time against Port Vale on Saturday. So often inscrutable, it was pleasantly surprising to see the 23-year-old’s open pride at the milestone. It was also a reminder that not all of a footballer’s individual career aims are immediately obvious to outside observers.
Palmer’s status in this Chelsea squad is unassailable. He is the one who turned the UEFA Conference League final and settled the FIFA Club World Cup final. Team-mates look for him when they are under pressure and when games are going awry. That level of on-pitch authority befits a captain, and sometimes football is as simple as giving the armband to your best player.
But is he vocal enough for the role? And might it be better for him to fully focus on rediscovering his best form when Chelsea need it most in the coming weeks?
Captain Cult Hero: Marc Cucurella
If the suitability of a Chelsea captain is measured in how often and vociferously they are targeted for abuse by opposition fans, Cucurella could be a John Terry-level candidate.
A popular dressing-room figure who transcends social groups, Cucurella is also one of the bigger personalities in this Chelsea team. Just as importantly, he is always available: no one in Enzo Maresca’s squad played more minutes than the Spain international across all competitions last season, or in last summer’s triumphant FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
Ultimately, though, the optics of demoting Fernandez in order to elevate a player who voiced many of the same criticisms of Chelsea’s decision-making to The Athletic during the international break might be too bizarre to overlook — even if club sources insist the important distinction is that Fernandez disrespected the club, while Cucurella’s mistake was to publicly air frustrations that should have been kept behind closed doors.
Captain Uncle: Tosin Adarabioyo
‘Uncle’ Tosin was the man Palmer passed the armband to when he was substituted off in the 62nd minute against Port Vale. The oldest member of this exceptionally young squad, Tosin has been part of the leadership group virtually from the moment he arrived on a free transfer from Fulham in the summer of 2024. His voice carries undoubted weight.
But if the point of a vice-captain is to lead the team when the captain is absent, picking a squad player is hard to justify. Port Vale might prove to be the last game Tosin starts for Chelsea this season. And if the defender is not in the team, he cannot be a candidate to lead it.
Captain Cool Hands: Robert Sanchez
Sanchez is less than two months younger than Tosin, making him the oldest player in Chelsea’s most frequent starting XI. He is a confident character and giving him the armband would certainly be one symbolic way of underlining Rosenior’s commitment to playing out from the back.
It would be shocking if Rosenior actually did that, given that he appears to believe Filip Jorgensen is the more suited goalkeeper to his style of football when fit. It would also subject Sanchez’s erratic decision-making with the ball to even greater scrutiny from fans.
Robert Sanchez is one of Chelsea’s most experienced players (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Captain BlueCo: Andrey Santos
If the captain’s armband was good enough for the original Dunga, how about the new one? The extremely left-field choice of Santos would constitute an amusing double-down on youth, as well as a spectacular vote of self-confidence in the BlueCo pathway.
It is also not quite as ridiculous as it sounds. Santos has captained Brazil throughout the youth age groups, and Rosenior gave him the armband at Strasbourg last season. He is widely regarded as leadership material and, if he establishes himself as a key starter at Chelsea, it would not be particularly surprising to see him captain the team out at some point in the future.
But that point is not now, and it is unlikely to be soon. Santos is still early in the process of building his career at Stamford Bridge and needs no additional burden of responsibility.