MY ACCOUNT
Chelsea are seeking a new manager following the departure of Graham Potter.
The Englishman was axed in the wake of Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa — the second sacking of owner Todd Boehly’s short tenure.
We look at who could be in contention for the role with the Blues languishing in 11th place but still in the hunt for Champions League glory.
Julian Nagelsmann
Tottenham target Julian Nagelsmann is the bookies’ favourite to replace Potter.
The former Bayern Munich boss led his side to the Bundesliga title in his first season after joining in the summer of 2021.
He also won the German Super Cup in 2021 and 2022 before he was sacked and replaced by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel late last month.
At just 35, the German is younger than centre-back Thiago Silva, but age does not seem to be an issue for either of the Premier League sides rumoured to be vying for his services.
Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain, where he won last season’s Ligue 1 title.
His availability coupled with a record of success in the Premier League naturally places him near the top of the contenders list.
If Potter ultimately proved unable to rise to the massive challenge of marshalling some of the world’s biggest stars, the appointment of Pochettino — who has counted Lionel Messi amongst his charges — would carry no such risk.
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers parted ways with Leicester following Saturday’s disappointing defeat at Crystal Palace but his history at Chelsea could make him an outside shot for the job.
While the Foxes are now fighting relegation, the Northern Irish manager previously masterminded Leicester to two credible Champions League challenges and took Liverpool to within a whisker of the title in 2013-14.
He spent four years heading up Chelsea’s youth set-up before moving into management and knows how to get the best out of senior players.
Zinedine Zidane
Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane spoke as recently as last September about how his lack of fluency in English made him apprehensive about taking a Premier League job.
But with his outstanding record both domestically and in Europe with Real, Chelsea will likely dig deep to come up with a sizeable offer if they believe he could be tempted.
The 50-year-old has spent nearly two years out of the game since his second spell at the LaLiga giants, a long time for a manager of his pedigree and hunger.
Ruben Amorim
Tottenham fans will attest to what a wily operator the Sporting Lisbon coach is, with Amorim’s team taking four Champions League points off them this season and beating them 2-0 with a whirlwind performance in Lisbon last September.
The 38-year-old is yet to truly announce himself as a rising star and after the Potter experiment the Chelsea board may not be ready to take another punt on potential.
Yet his tactical nous and — maybe just as important after Potter — passion, make him undoubtedly a coach worthy of a grander stage than Portugal’s Primeira Liga.
