Chelsea have sacked Graham Potter after a disgruntling defeat to Aston Villa which saw the Blues drop to the lower half of the table. Potter has failed to convince that the team was on the right path and progress was being made as CFC failed to get consistent results under the English manager.
As soon as news of Potter’s sacking emerged, links with Julian Nagelsmann have started circulating. The German boss became available after Bayern Munich parted ways and appointed former CFC boss Thomas Tuchel. Nagelsmann at Chelsea was already looking an attractive proposition and with Potter’s sacking, Nagelsmann is considered as one of the favourites for the job.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea appreciates Nagelsmann and considers him as one of the top candidates for the job. However, there are other candidates in the running too. Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane, Ruben Amorium and Luis Enrique are some other names being linked at this point.
Chelsea to interview five managers to replace Graham Potter
Nagelsmann has emerged as an early favourite thanks to his cordial relationship with technical director Christopher Vivell as the duo worked together at RB Leipzig. According to The Telegraph, CFC are adamant on going through an exhaustive process to select the replacement of Potter and will interview at least five candidates before making the final decision.
Chelsea will interview ex Tottenham manager Pochettino who has been out of work since getting sacked at PSG. The Blues will also interview Enrique who is looking for a new project after leaving the Spain national team post the FIFA World Cup. The Blues are also looking to open talks with representatives of Luciano Spalletti who is on the verge of guiding Napoli to their first Serie A since 1989-90.
Chelsea will thoroughly evaluate the candidates and do their due diligence before taking the final decision. Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali interviewed Potter and made the decision to appoint him the new Chelsea manager. Only one more candidate was interviewed before taking the call on Potter as the club was without a technical and a sporting team.
Now fully equipped with sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, CFC will hold a rigorous process to decide the manager to replace Potter at the helm. In the meantime, Bruno Saltor will be in charge of the first team as they prepare to face Liverpool on Tuesday. It is still unclear if a new manager will be appointed before the UEFA Champions League quarter final clash against Real Madrid.
Which manager will replace Graham Potter at Chelsea?