Chelsea could yet turn their attention towards a different manager as the hunt for Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement continues.
The Blues need to appoint a new head coach after Mauricio Pochettino left by mutual consent just two days after the final day of the Premier League season.
It’s been widely speculated that the trio of Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are among Chelsea’s managerial candidates. For example, The Telegraph claimed on Thursday that Chelsea’s managerial shortlist includes Maresca, McKenna and Frank.
It’s now been claimed elsewhere that a different manager could yet be in the running for the vacant manager’s job at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea may still move for available manager
The Telegraph claims that Chelsea haven’t yet ruled out a move for Roberto De Zerbi, who’s available after just leaving Brighton.
It is understood that the Blues are making checks on Maresca, McKenna and Frank. However, De Zerbi hasn’t been ruled out from the managerial race yet.
The report says that the 44-year-old coach is an outlier right now compared to the other candidates, but he’s not out of the running.
According to The Telegraph’s report, Brighton would still be due around £5m in compensation from any club that hires De Zerbi this summer.
The Italian boss is viewed within football as a ‘challenging character’, but his possession-based style of football fits with what the Chelsea hierarchy wants at Stamford Bridge. Also, he’s worked alongside several Blues players and staff in the past at Brighton.
Does Roberto De Zerbi want Chelsea?
De Zerbi, described as “excellent” by Luton Town boss Rob Edwards last year (Luton Today), is a highly-rated young manager.
His teams usually dominate the ball with short and sharp passes, but his Brighton side ran out of steam in the end. He still guided Brighton to finish sixth and 11th in the Premier League during his two season in charge.
i claimed on Friday that De Zerbi is keen on Chelsea’s manager position following his Brighton departure. There’s uncertainty at Stamford Bridge over him, though.
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