Chelsea’s managerial pursuits enter the eleventh hour (again)

Chelsea are approaching the end of their managerial search once more. The Blues will hope everything works this time to avoid yet another restart.

The Blues and Antonio Conte lifted the FA Cup two weeks ago now. Many expected Antonio Conte’s future to be quickly revealed, followed by the announcement of a new manager.

Since that day, Chelsea have been on the verge of signing a new manager about every four hours. Maurizio Sarri was incoming except oh wait Chelsea have not paid his release clause. Then he was coming but oh wait Chelsea wanted to haggle down his release clause. The expiration on that clause approached and oh wait Chelsea decided not to pay it. Chelsea would go to court over it but oh wait Sarri is controversial and the Blues looked elsewhere.

Rinse and repeat over a few days and it becomes maddening. Now the Blues are most strongly linked (in tabloids) to Laurent Blanc which has been met by a mix of revulsion and disdain by Chelsea fans. Table the fact that he is as controversial if not more so than Sarri. He is simply underwhelming on almost all counts.

But even that rumor cannot hold up on its own. Former Chelsea player and Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has also been linked. That rumor has gained steam as the Sarri links have collapsed. If the Blues are looking for a manager of the same cut as Sarri, Jokanovic makes sense.

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Then there are the Zinedine Zidane links which the tabloids love. Big name manager becomes available, link him to the big job about to be available. Classic. But it is hard to see what Chelsea would offer Zidane that would make him end his sabbatical almost immediately.

Waiting somewhere in the shadows, perhaps regretting his high demands, is Luis Enrique. He was the early favorite to replace Antonio Conte as far back as January, but fell to the wayside as his costs seem to increase. He is still available though and if the Blues become desperate enough who knows what they will do.

The papers and tabloids likely have a few more names up their sleeve to dish out as the process drags on. They have already tried to make Avram Grant stick and he has not done anything of note for almost a decade now.

But there is a sense that Chelsea are about to do something. This entire process has already dragged out too long. The Blues likely wanted to have a new manager in by June at the latest. The closer the World Cup gets, the more desperate the Blues will be to just get things done. Because the world stops for the World Cup and then the Blues will have to wait till after.

And if the plan is to wait till after, Chelsea are digging their own grave. Preseason starts a week after the World Cup ends and that is simply not enough time for a new manger to learn the squad and start planning a way to implement his tactics. If the Blues wait until after the World Cup to find a new manager, the Blues will be unable to truly kick off until October or November. By then, they may be too far behind the eight ball to make things workout.

All of this is not to mention that Chelsea seem to have put their transfer plans on hold until after a new manager is hired. That makes the urgency before the World Cup more intense as players will begin to focus on the tournament.

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Chelsea must wrap their managerial hunt up quickly. As in, by the end of next week at the latest. Barring that, they need to publicly come out and back Conte to stay. Next season is too vital for the Blues to delay and delay hoping the stars align and a great manager walks through the door on his own volition.