Chelsea are back on the lookout for a new manager after they decided to sack Liam Rosenior following a helpless slide down the Premier League table. The Blues have gone from being a solid bet for top four finishers to falling outside the top six, and by the time the weekend is over, they may be out of the European positions altogether.
Rosenior has failed to turn things around following a slump in form, and Tuesday night's 3-0 hammering at the hands of European rivals Brighton proved to be the final straw.
Conversations will be had over how responsible Rosenior is for the current situation at Stamford Bridge, but there is no going back now, and Chelsea must find themselves a new manager, be it in the coming weeks or once the season is over, with the latter being the most likely. With that in mind, we have put together three options the Blues should consider.
Andoni Iraola
A number of managers are being linked with the now vacant Chelsea job, including Felipe Luis and dream target Diego SImeone, but after a risky appointment in Rosenior, the Blues should be looking at proven options.
With that in mind, we start with AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola. The Spaniard worked wonders with Rayo Vallecano, operating on a small budget, before earning his opportunity with Bournemouth, learning English in preparation for a Premier League opportunity.
Iraola has done superbly with Bournemouth, achieving steady growth at the club which could culminate in a European qualification this season prior to him leaving. Iraola has already confirmed he will leave the Cherries, and we now know Marco Rose will take over the role.
Iraola is due a big opportunity at a big club after working brilliantly on limited budgets, albeit the Cherries are not short of cash. and it will be very interesting to see how he does at a top club with big expectations. Iraola employs an attacking style of play and has shown a clear ability to get the best out of exciting young players.
If Chelsea don't offer him a top job, someone else will.
Marco Silva
It's surprising to see so many unproven managers ahead of Silva in the early reports. Silva has done a fine job at Fulham and carries previous Premier League experience at Hull City, Watford and Everton.
He is a manager who knows how to get points in the Premier League, which is a rare quality, and refreshingly, he is not stuck to one style as some of the younger coaches are. Not to make an obvious Portuguese connection, but Chelsea fans were fully on board with Jose Mourinho and his win at all costs approach at Chelsea, prioritising clean sheets over scoring goals and so on.
Silva is more of that ilk, and he has done a very solid job at Fulham, also managing to get the best out of attacking players like Harry Wilson. The Portuguese boss may not be the sexiest name in terms of playing style, which might put the Chelsea board off, given the exciting young talent at the club, but if they want a top man manager who will always find a way to pick up points, they should be considering Silva for the job., and he is yet to commit his future to Fulham beyond this season.
Oliver Glasner
Look, in an ideal world, there would be fancier options ahead of Glasner. Zinedine Zidane, Diego Simeone and Xavi Hernandez would all be on this list, but none of them are likely to take the Chelsea job at this juncture.
The Blues are not currently a club the very top managers will want to work with, and so the focus should remain on managers who have proven they can succeed in the Premier League, even if it's not title success, with those managers few and far between.
In terms of relative success, Glasner has done an excellent job with Palace, securing their first-ever trophy in the FA Cup, and first-ever European qualification, while also keeping them steady in the Premier League despite losing top players like Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.
Glasner has dealt with a board he certainly hasn't always agreed with, which will come in handy at Stamford Bridge, and he has also achieved European success with Eintracht Frankfurt, with the potential to achieve more with Palace this season.
Glasner has shown a clear ability to develop young players into superstars, something Chelsea need, and he has the Premier League experience that Chelsea often lack in their appointments. Again, he may not be the sexiest name, but the Blues need to be choosing a manager with a high chance of Premier League success, not rolling the dice on someone like Cesc Fabregas just because it's a sexy appointment that will make fans happy in the short term. He would be a free appointment, too, given he is leaving Palace this summer.
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