One candidate for the vacant Chelsea manager role has been encouraged after recent talks with the club.
Chelsea's managerial search
Mauricio Pochettino departed Chelsea earlier this week after just one season at the club. The Argentine had a rough start to life back in the Premier League, with the Blues languishing in mid-table for much of the first half of 2023/24.
The west Londoners went on to end the campaign by losing just one of their last 14 outings, earning them a 6th-place finish and Conference League football. However, this was apparently not enough for Todd Boehly and co, as the South American has left and the search for his replacement has begun.
Chelsea have seen a number of names linked with Pochettino's old role. Last month, it was claimed that Chelsea were "monitoring" the status of Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim "should things not progress further with Pochettino in [the] summer". Elsewhere, Chelsea are said to have identified former Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi as a candidate to take over at Stamford Bridge.
The potential appointment of Hansi Flick has also been “discussed internally” by those within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge, though he now looks set to take up a position at FC Barcelona following Xavi's sacking.
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In recent days, meanwhile, a trio of fresh names have been linked to the Stamford Bridge dugout. According to The Sun, Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca is "one of three leading candidates for the role, alongside Ipswich's Kieran McKenna and Brentford's Thomas Frank".
Maresca has impressed during his time in England so far, leading the Foxes to the Championship title this past season. Speaking back in February, Leicester midfielder Harry Winks backed Maresca to go to the very top of the game.
“He’s incredible in every way,” said Winks. “He’s a manager who I think will certainly go to the very top. His understanding of football is something I’ve never witnessed before. I think his approachability and man-management is exceptional. I’ve really enjoyed working for him so much already and I’m still learning so much every day.
“When you go out on the pitch, you know exactly what to do and how the opposition are going to operate and what you can do to affect that. To do it so simply is the most important thing. That’s a thing a lot of managers probably struggle with – getting the message across, but the gaffer does it so well here.”
But unfortunately for Leicester, Maresca's ascent to the top may come sooner than they had hoped. This comes with The Sun reporting that while "there is no clear favourite" at this stage, Maresca has held talks with Chelsea and is thought to have been left "encouraged".
Regarding details of getting the Italian away from the Midlands outfit, he has a reported €10m (£8.5m) release clause in his Leicester contract, while it is thought he could get a longer deal than what was given to Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
Manager
Tenure
Roberto Di Matteo
5 months, 9 days
Graham Potter
6 months, 26 days
Luis Felipe Scolari
7 months, 30 days
Avram Grant
8 months, 5 days
Andre Villas-Boas
8 months, 12 days
Mauricio Pochettino
10 months, 21 days
Maurizio Sarri
11 months, 3 days
With Pochettino handed a two-year contract with a year's option, it appears the Blues hierarchy are set to put their faith in their new man, whoever it turns out to be.
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