Chelsea have narrowed their shortlist to replace Mauricio Pochettino from six names to four two days after the former head coach’s departure.
The Argentine head coach parted ways with the west London club on Tuesday after 11 months in charge at Stamford Bridge, despite a strong finish to the season which saw the club place sixth in the Premier League standings.
Pochettino’s exit is believed to have taken his players by surprise, with some dismayed that the 52-year-old will not be returning for a second season after making progress with a youthful squad stricken by persistent injuries.
It is thought that Chelsea are seeking a ‘young and progressive’ manager to spearhead a project which delivers both success and creative, possession-based football to the club, and just hours after Pochettino’s departure was announced, a rough shortlist of Chelsea’s preferred candidates came into focus.
Now the Blues have whittled their initial search down to a selection of favoured choices, with three of the candidates currently working within English football.
Of the updated shortlist of managers under consideration, three coaches have been revealed: Kieran McKenna of Ipswich, Brentford’s Thomas Frank, and Leicester boss Enzo Maresca.
An unknown fourth candidate rounds out the pack, with Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Girona manager Michel understood to now be out of contention.
The Brentford manager in particular has a number of admirers at the club, and his Premier League experience could yet give him an edge.
Both McKenna and Maresca have seen their sides to promotion from the Championship at pace, with the former securing back-to-back rises for the Tractor Boys, and Guardiola’s ex-assistant arriving at the King Power at the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
Although McKenna is interested in a move to Chelsea, the club could yet face strong resistance in their pursuit of the manager.
Premier League rivals Brighton also keen to secure his signature following Roberto De Zerbi’s exit at the end of the season.
The Italian left the club by mutual consent after the two parties are believed to have failed to come to an agreement over De Zerbi’s role in the club’s transfer windows.
Brighton see McKenna are their first-choice option, and it was reported on Thursday that the Seagulls remain confident they can swipe their target away from both Chelsea and his current club, who are keen to keep hold of him.
While McKenna is thought to be preparing to reject a new deal from Ipswich, the compensation required to spring McKenna from Portman Road is believed to be between £4million and £6m.
Should Frank plump for a move between west London sides, the role at Chelsea would reunite the Danish manager with his former set-piece specialist Bernardo Cueva, who joined the Blues last week.
Pochettino was previously doubtful about the hiring of a coach for set plays ahead of his departure.
‘We have specialists,’ Pochettino said in February as he dismissed the notion. ‘We are a coaching staff in charge of everything.’
Chelsea’s next appointment will become the sixth manager to work under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-led BlueCo, who took over the club just two years ago.
