Chelsea have sacked Graham Potter as manager after a nightmare spell at Stamford Bridge.
Potter moved to west London from Brighton earlier this season to replace Thomas Tuchel but lasted just 31 games in the hot-seat after a dismal run of results that left them stuck in mid-table, with the 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa the final straw.
So, who will the club’s American owners turn to next? Here’s the full run down on who’ll be the next Chelsea manager.
LUIS ENRIQUE
Former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has been making noises about a move to the Premier League and his desire to manage a big club who can challenge for trophies. A proven winner, could this be a match made in heaven?
JULIAN NAGELSMANN
Julian Nagelsmann was one of the instant favourites for this role. He was surprisingly given the axe at Bayern Munich recently and has strong links to the Chelsea hierarchy. He plays good football but does he lack the killer edge required to succeed at Stamford Bridge?
MAURICIO POCHETTINO
How’s this for a role reversal, a former Tottenham manager going to Chelsea? If this comes off I think we might need to reset football altogether. Anyway, the Argentine has also managed Paris St-Germain so knows a thing or two about trigger happy owners and temperamental superstar players.
ZINEDINE ZIDANE
Former Real Madrid Galactico turned serial Champions League winning manager in the Spanish capital, Zinedine Zidane would be right up Chelsea’s street. But with football in Europe’s elite competition looking a long way off, would Zizu fancy a potential Europa Conference League campaign?
BRUNO SALTOR
Possession is nine-tenths of the law and Potter’s former assistant Bruno Saltor has been charged with steadying the ship after his boss’ departure. Surely he lacks the experience to knit The Blues’ expensively assembled but very green squad together.
ROBERTO DE ZERBI
Fancy a suave manager from Brighton who’s been pulling up trees with an unfancied side? Well there’s a new chief in town and his name is Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian’s been priced up by Paddy’s traders but would Chelsea go down that path again?
So you’ve got the low down on the latest runners and riders currently at the top of Paddy’s market, but here’s our live blog from when the news of Potter’s sacking broke with more wildcard options and instant reaction.
Remember all the odds on our next manager markets can be found over at PP.com here.
Who could replace Graham Potter at Chelsea – Live!
1.45pm: Could a former Chelsea captain return to Stamford Bridge to sort his old side out?
No, we’re not talking John Terry. Or Frank Lampard for that matter.
Could France boss Didier Deschamps become an option? He won the World Cup in 2018 and reached the finals of Euro 2016 and Qatar 2022.
He also lifted the FA Cup while wearing a Chelsea shirt so knows a thing or two about getting the job done.
12:45pm: Maybe it’s finally time for Diego Simeone to come to the Premier League?
He’s been linked with a move to England at least once a year for the last 10 seasons and we know he’s box office.
His Atletico Madrid team are always resilient while also showing quality and Simeone does well in the Champions League.
But who knows what Todd Boehly is after in his real life Football Manager game.
12:15pm: Or if Chelsea don’t fancy raiding Brighton again, why not just go to Brentford instead?
Thomas Frank has done a sensational job with the Bees and they could genuinely finish in the top six.
Frank recently signed a new deal but if the call came from Chelsea it could be hard to turn down.
11:45am: Could Chelsea plot another raid on Brighton as their Potter successor?
Roberto De Zerbi’s stock is high after impressing since replacing Potter at Brighton earlier this season.
They drew at home against Brentford last weekend but they’re still in with a great shout of finishing in the top six.
‘If he can do that at Brighton, imagine what he can do at Chelsea’ is probably what the Blues hierarchy said about Potter six months ago, however…
11:15am: Maybe Luis Enrique is the answer for Chelsea?
The former Barcelona and Spain boss won plenty of silverware with his former side, including the Champions League in 2015.
He obviously had Lionel Messi and Chelsea don’t have anywhere near as much quality as that Barcelona side but Enrique has pedigree at a big club.
10:45am: Bruno Saltor will replace Potter as interim manager but could the former Brighton defender get the job full-time?
He kicks off his spell in charge with a home game against Liverpool on Tuesday night and he’s also got a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid to look forward to.
If he goes all the way in the Champions League it would be hard not to give him the job!
10:15am: Chelsea’s statement conforming Potter’s exit mentioned how they’re all in on winning the Champions League to save their season.
If they want Champions League success, the Blues will likely be looking at Zinedine Zidane.
The ex-Real Madrid boss won the competition three times while in charge at the Bernabeu but would he be the right fit for Chelsea?
They’ve tried a progressive manager in Potter and they didn’t like that so maybe the bullish Zidane is the answer.
9:50am: It looks like Chelsea will pick between Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino to replace Potter unless another candidate comes out of nowhere.
Former Tottenham boss Pochettino is still adored by the north London club so would he go to their rivals Chelsea if the call came?
It’s also claimed Pochettino, who has been out of work since leaving PSG, could be open to taking the Real Madrid job if it became available.
Hard life picking between being in charge of Chelsea, Tottenham or Real Madrid isn’t it, eh?
9:25am: Could Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester exit be a blessing for Chelsea?
The former Blues coach is now a free agent after leaving the Foxes by mutual consent so could a return to Stamford Bridge be on the cards?
Rodgers almost guided Liverpool to the Premier League title and he won silverware at Celtic and Leicester, however, the Chelsea hierarchy may want a bigger name than Rodgers.
8.50am: Could a legend return to the Bridge? Two names on our traders’ shorlist are former captain John Terry and three-time Premier League-winning coach Jose Mourinho.
Both would appear long-shots, with Terry’s only managerial experience coming as an assistant to Dean Smith at Aston Villa and Mourinho already having had two stints at the club, and not covering himself in glory during his last stint in England at Spurs.
Still, getting Terry on board at the club may be a smart move by the club’s owners to appease supporters… but getting the top job is surely a bit of a long shot?
8.35am: Julian Nagelsmann could have a choice on north or west London this summer.
He was on a metoric rise after impressing at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig in his homeland, before coming a bit unstuck at Bayern Munich.
Their board decided making the race for the Bundesliga actually exciting for once wouldn’t do, so gave him the chop last month. That’s despite their highly impressive Champions League form, where they knocked out Paris St-Germain in the last 16 after topping a group with Barcelona and Inter Milan.
Any move before the end of the season would appear unlikely, but a switch to either Chelsea or Tottenham in the summer could well be on the cards, with the German a leading runner in both next manager odds markets.
8am: So, who are the top contenders? Here’s the runners and riders our traders think are in with a shout at this early stage…
JULIAN NAGELSMANN
The huge early favourite is ex-Bayern Munich boss Nagelsmann. He was given the chop at the Allianz Arena last week, and a switch to the Premier League could now be on the cards.
Tottenham have also been linked with the 35-year-old coach, and are in a better place to potentially offer Champions League football next season.
MAURICIO POCHETTINO
Speaking of Tottenham, could their ex-coach be an option for the Blues? Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t been in work since being sacked by Paris St-Germain last summer, and a switch to west London may appeal to the Argentine.
ZINEDINE ZIDANE
Another in the running could be three-time Champions League-winning coach Zinedine Zidane.
He’s not been in a job since leaving Real for a second time back in 2021, but his track record in Europe could appeal to Chelsea’s owners.
BRUNO SALTOR
The former Brighton captain followed Graham Potter to London earlier in the season and has survived – for now – after being named as the caretaker manager. If he impresses in his interim post he could yet land the job on a full-time basis.
PEP GUARDIOLA
Surely not? Pep Guardiola looks happy as larry at Manchester City, but he’s been priced up by our traders for a shock switch to Chelsea. City would surely try to block any approach for their coach, but maybe he’ll fancy a change of scenery. Seems a long-shot, though.
OLIVIER GLASNER
The hipster pick of the bunch so far is Austrian coach Oliver Glasner. He’s in charge at German club Frankfurt, who he steered to Europa League glory last season when they beat Rangers in the final.
Falls into a similar mould as Potter in being untested at the very highest level, but if Chelsea fancy an upwardly-mobile coach he could be their man.
* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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