Revealed: Chelsea have begun the process of conducting formal interviews with candidates to succeed Mauricio Pochettino after whittling down their shortlist to four… including a mystery manager
- Chelsea have four candidates in the list to succeed Mauricio Pochettino
- They have begun conducting formal interviews for the appointment
- Chelsea are ‘mind-boggling’… Mauricio Pochettino has NOT failed – where do the Blues go from here? Listen to the It all starts! Podcast
Chelsea have started conducting formal interviews with the candidates who want to succeed Mauricio Pochettino.
Stamford Bridge directors have trimmed their manager shortlist, with Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, Leicester’s Enzo Maresca and Brentford’s Thomas Frank still in the picture.
It is believed that there is another name on the club’s list of favorite candidates.
Chelsea have a long-term interest in Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim but the cost of bringing in the Portuguese, who has a £12.8m release clause, is high, especially as the club walks a fine line when it comes to adhering to profit and sustainability. laws.
Intriguingly, Ipswich are already said to be considering a replacement for McKenna ahead of him leaving this summer with Rob Edwards among the names on their radar, while Luton face a battle to retain their highly regarded head coach.
Brentford’s Thomas Frank is one of the few managers on Chelsea’s updated shortlist
The Blues said goodbye to manager Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday after eleven months
It is believed that a number of Chelsea players have been shocked and angry at the decision
McKenna, who is also wanted by Manchester United and Brighton, is open to leaving Portman Road this summer for a more established top club.
Similarly, Maresca has a strong chance of replacing Pochettino next season after an excellent job ensuring Leicester’s immediate return to the Premier League after last season’s relegation and will discuss the vacancy with Chelsea.
If Chelsea hire Maresca, Carlos Corberan is one of the coaches Leicester would consider replacing him.
The Spaniard is building an impressive reputation in the English game. After working under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds, Corberan guided Huddersfield to the 2022 Championship play-off final on a fraction of the budget of many of their rivals.
Last season he also took West Bromwich Albion to the play-offs, where he was ultimately beaten by Southampton despite huge financial uncertainty for most of the season.
Frank is believed to be heading into the summer with an open mind after eight years at Brentford.
Enzo Maresca led Leicester in his debut season as head coach
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna is believed to have been tracked by the Blues for some time
Sources have indicated that the Dane would be open to a move to a bigger side provided working conditions are in line with his ethos.
Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is an option for Brentford if Frank leaves.
Chelsea are keen to appoint a new head coach in early June, with the search being led by sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
They want a ‘progressive’ head coach who delivers forward football and also embraces their strategy.
Chelsea’s owners have spent the last two years trying to put together a team of promising talent that they hope will deliver success in the years to come, but Pochettino failed to secure the Champions League qualification they so desperately craved when he left on Tuesday by mutual agreement.
Should Frank move through west London, he would be reunited with coach Bernardo Cueva, who joined Chelsea last week.
One reason Chelsea want a quick resolution to their search is because they are aware that Manchester United could soon be rivaling them for their goals if they were to sack Erik ten Hag after Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City .
Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Girona’s Michel have reportedly dropped out of the race to replace Pochettino.
