Who should be the next Chelsea manager?
With Graham Potter out at Chelsea after just over six months in charge, who should replace him at Stamford Bridge?
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This is a massive decision for Todd Boehly and the Chelsea hierarchy, as the Blues’ new American owners went all-in on Potter but it has backfired spectacularly as they are currently in the bottom half of the Premier League table despite spending eye-watering sums of money in the last two transfer windows.
Things were supposed to be different under the new ownership after the hire ’em and fire ’em reign of previous owner Roman Abramovich but Potter was in charge for just 31 games and Chelsea’s fans never really took to him.
Boehly and Co. have placed Bruno Saltor in interim charge with the Blues having 10 Premier League games left and a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid as their season hinges on somehow winning the Champions League trophy.
It seems like Chelsea will take their time to appoint a successor to Potter and below we rank the leading contenders.
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Ranking the contenders to take charge at Chelsea
1. Julian Nagelsmann
The German coach has only just been fired by Bayern Munich but his pedigree speaks for itself. Nagelsmann, 35, is one of the best young coaches in the game and he seems to have the aura needed to manage Chelsea. Our partners in Germany at Sky Sport say he wants to take a break but it is pretty clear Chelsea will reach out to him as the likes of Real Madrid have also been linked with the former Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern coach.
2. Luis Enrique
He said just a few days ago he would love to coach in the Premier League but only at a team which can challenge for big things. Well, Luis, that opportunity has arrived. He left Spain after a disappointing World Cup exit in November and the former Barcelona manager plays an attractive style and is highly-regarded and respected. If Chelsea truly commit to giving him time to bed in a new philosophy, this seems like a perfect fit.
3. Mauricio Pochettino
A report fro talkSPORT says Poch has plenty of admirers at Chelsea and the work he did at Tottenham was remarkable. But will his connections to Spurs put him (and Chelsea) off of him becoming the main man at Stamford Bridge? His most recent stop at PSG wasn’t a disaster given the circus often surrounding Les Parisiens and Pochettino wants a return to London.
4. Marco Silva
A surprise candidate, per the Daily Mirror, and this is a bit of a risk. Marco Silva has done a fine job just down the road at Fulham but is he too similar of a profile of coach as Potter? He has more experience at the top level and Silva is certainly someone who will demand respect from the players right away. It feels like Chelsea will go for a ‘bigger name’ manager than Silva though.
Other names to keep an eye on: Brendan Rodgers, Diego Simeone, Zinedine Zidane, Ruben Amorim, Thomas Frank
Who should be the next Chelsea manager? originally appeared on NBCSports.com