Chelsea and Graham Potter parted ways on Sunday in an unsurprising move from the Blues after Saturday’s home loss to Aston Villa dropped them into the bottom half of the Premier League table. The decision was not that much of a shock given the Londoners struggles since the English tactician’s move from Brighton and Hove Albion and attention has immediately turned to his replacement.
Despite the team’s struggles in front of goal, the massive outlay on a talented squad will still be attractive to a number of managers. With a challenge on the reach Europe for next season, several of the best tacticians in Europe could be tempted to test themselves.
Tottenham Hotspur are also on the lookout for a new boss which creates an interesting battle between the two clubs to land the biggest name. However, the challenge awaiting Potter’s replacement at Stamford Bridge cannot be underestimated considering where Chelsea were less than two years ago under new Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel.
We look at the main names.
1. Julian Nagelsmann
Fresh from his Bayern dismissal, the German tactician is a hot name on the managerial market given that Spurs are also reportedly keen. However, the 35-year-old was not in any rush to enter into talks with Tottenham to be Antonio Conte’s successor and they are better placed to reach next season’s UEFA Champions League. A lack of a clear plan could also hinder Chelsea in convincing top tacticians to join at present — especially one who has just come from a European soccer institution like Bayern. Instead, a more experienced and hungry manager could be a better fit.
2. Mauricio Pochettino
Enter the Argentine who is now coming up on one season out of the game after his Paris Saint-Germain exit in the summer of 2022. Pochettino, 51, has been heavily linked with a Tottenham return for some time, but Chelsea’s sudden availability could change those plans — particularly as the South American was a candidate for the job before Potter landed it. An increasingly likely absence of European soccer for next term could be problematic, but Pochettino has been waiting for a suitable Premier League opening and suddenly two have presented themselves.
3. Luis Enrique
The Spaniard led his country at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has been vocal about his desire to return to day-to-day coaching. Enrique, 52, has also hinted that he could try his luck in England although he could not see himself taking the Spurs job when asked before the Chelsea role became available. It could be that a manager who has been plotting their return to game for some time could be in a better state of readiness than Enrique who has only had a few months out of his latest job.
4. Zinedine Zidane
Another high profile name currently available is that of the Frenchman who will not be in charge of Les Bleus anytime soon. Zidane, 50, has been linked with a third stint with Real Madrid, but also the likes of former club Juventus and was previously of interest to the likes of Manchester United pre-Erik ten Hag. An England move is unlikely but not impossible now that the door to the France national team is shut and Zidane could fancy reviving Chelsea’s fortunes with a younger squad full of potential more than the group he might inherit should he replace Brazil target Carlo Ancelotti.
5. Roberto De Zerbi
Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea is becoming something of a pathway after Potter left the Seagulls for the Blues earlier this season. However, while the Londoners did not improve, Brighton have continued to impress under the Italian’s leadership. De Zerbi, 43, is believed to have a clause in his contract which enables clubs to move for him from this summer and that could be of consideration when looking at potential replacements for Potter. However, given how expensive the last move was and how the Englishman struggled to translate his achievements to a bigger stage, Chelsea may well be wary of making the same mistake twice in quick succession. That might not necessarily be true of Tottenham Hotspur, though, as they look to replace Antonio Conte and potentially make the most of his assembled staffing unit.
6. Thomas Frank and Marco Silva
These two are doing great jobs with their respective Premier League teams with both Frank’s Brentford and Silva’s Fulham in the top half of the table. However, both should be considered outsiders and working against them is the fact that the gamble Chelsea would need to take on them is pretty much the same as the one that just failed with Potter. Expect the Blues to go with somebody more experienced on a long-term basis and do not rule out waiting for the end of the season before deciding.
7. Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Brendan Rodgers
All of these could be potential Stamford Bridge returns in one capacity of another. Rodgers was never Chelsea’s senior boss but he has worked for the club before and just left Leicester City over the weekend while Conte is available after his Spurs exit and Ancelotti is under a bit of pressure in Madrid. Jose Mourinho is currently AS Roma boss and has already had two spells with the London club but is unlikely to be near the top of this list with all four names far from being favorites.