Chelsea target Nagelsmann as favourite to replace Potter along with Pochettino
Chelsea want to interview Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino, Rúben Amorim, Oliver Glasner and Luis Enrique as part of their search for a manager but are prepared to wait until the summer before appointing a fulltime replacement for Graham Potter.
The club, who installed the inexperienced Bruno Saltor as interim head coach after Potter’s abrupt dismissal on Sunday, do not want to rush into a rash decision. There have been indications that Bruno, who has no managerial experience, could remain in charge for the rest of the season.
The intention is to adopt a different approach from when they took the shock decision to fire Thomas Tuchel in September. Potter was quickly lured away from Brighton but a swift appointment is not expected this time.
Bruno is operating on a game-bygame basis but could lead the side into the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid next week.
Chelsea’s co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, want the search to be as exhaustive as possible. Responsibility has been handed to the sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, who will assess a number of candidates. Nagelsmann is the early favourite but the former Bayern Munich manager is not certain to land the job.
The feeling is that Chelsea were too quick to act when they appointed Potter, who proved an unsuitable fit. Boehly and Eghbali led that process, with their sporting structure yet to take shape, and Pochettino was the only other candidate interviewed. More due diligence will be undertaken.
There is an obvious appeal to Nagelsmann given that the German worked with Stewart and Chelsea’s technical director, Christopher Vivell, at RB Leipzig. But Nagelsmann, who was replaced by Tuchel at Bayern last week, has indicated he wants to wait until the end of the season before taking his next job. Chelsea, who host Liverpool on Tuesday night, would also need to negotiate with Bayern to remove the 35-year-old from gardening leave.
Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League despite spending almost £600m since last summer and would again like to speak to Pochettino, who has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain. It is understood the post would appeal to Luis Enrique, who lost the Spain job after the World Cup.
Chelsea are also monitoring Amorim, who has emerged as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe. The 38-year-old won the Portuguese title with Sporting Lisbon in 2021 and has led them to the quarter-finals of the Europa League this season.
There is respect, too, for Glasner’s achievements at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Austrian won the Europa League last season. Frankfurt, who were knocked out of the Champions League by Napoli last month, are sixth in the Bundesliga. Another possible contender is Luciano Spalletti, who is on course to win Serie A with Napoli, but the Italian is viewed as an outsider at the moment.
Chelsea know they cannot afford to wait too long before making an appointment. Real and PSG could be looking for new managers this summer and Tottenham are searching for a replacement for Antonio Conte. Spurs are interested in a reunion with Pochettino and have also targeted Nagelsmann.