Chelsea an easy link for any available or moving manager in the summer
By Travis Tyler
Chelsea are on rocky ground manager wise and thus are linked to anyone that is giving off a whiff of availability or willingness to relocate.
The only way Antonio Conte remains Chelsea manager is by making top four. Even then, there is no guarantee the board will not force him out or he will opt to quit. This has been the back and forth story since before the league was even won last year.
So naturally Chelsea are in search of a new manager. Whether that be as insurance if Conte goes or not remains to be seen. But because Chelsea are Chelsea, they are linked to every single manager with an sign of availability or willingness to relocate.
The strongest link has always been to Luis Enrique. He has been on sabbatical all season after leaving Barcelona. On paper, it should be a no brainer. Is trophy haul at Barcelona speaks for itself.
In practice, it might not go as well. He was a massive success at Barcelona but the concern is that the Spanish side is the only evidence he has to point to. A stint at Roma did not go well and Celta Vigo are not Chelsea. His record of bringing youth through is spotty and he is prone to playing players out of position. That might be allowable in La Liga but the Premier League may not be so forgiving.
Then there is Thomas Tuchel. The rumors around him have heated up quickly since he supposedly turned Bayern Munich down. He has been linked to Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea in recent days with the Blues link being the one exponentially increasing in strength.
Tuchel, like Enrique, has little evidence to point to other than one club (Dortmund). He was great at building upon what Jurgen Klopp built while adding his own flair to the club. He was great at bringing youth through. Butt the main concern with Tuchel is that he was at the club for only two years before he and the board had irreconcilable differences. Chelsea are in the same situation and it would be risky to put themselves right back into one again.
Related Story: Chelsea-Vitesse partnership the only certainty in the loan army
Finally there is Maurizio Sarri. He is great at working with little and has turned Napoli into a solid contender. The rumors surrounding him seem more like contract negotiation leverage. But no rumor is completely baseless.
The issue with Sarri is he comes across as flavor of the month. He is on everyone’s lips now but was not even a year ago. Napoli are better than they were but not remarkably so. And it took Sarri a near three seasons to get them there.
Chelsea are going to continue to be linked to any manager that says anything of interest that can be twisted into wanting a Chelsea job. For instance, if Real Madrid are knocked out of the Champions League, rumors of Zinedine Zidane to Chelsea will inevitably follow.
The Enrique and Tuchel rumors are likely the most true if only because they are the most available. Of the two, neither really stands out. Enrique would be the lower risk, lower reward option. He could have the club competing but it is unknown if they will be able to compete with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Tuchel would be the high risk, high reward option. If it works out, it would be the same situation as many dreamed of Conte. A manager with fire in their belly who wants to give it all for the club. But Tuchel also has a history of falling out with the board much like Conte. Perhaps the lessons will be learned if the Italian departs?
Next: Chelsea loanee Charly Musonda is proving Antonio Conte right
Regardless, until Conte’s future is announced and a new manager in place, the rumors will continue to grow and add new names. Chelsea are the most eligible bachelor at the moment with PSG not far behind.