According to Fabrizio Romano, Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino are among the frontrunners to replace Graham Potter, who was fired on April 2. Following a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, the Blues have announced that Potter’s tenure has come to an end after only 31 games. (April 1).
Bruno Saltor, Potter’s former assistant, will serve as interim president. Nagelsmann was previously the manager of Bayern Munich. He was fired by the Bavarians in the middle of the season and was replaced by former Blues coach Thomas Tuchel. Meanwhile, Pochettino was most recently the manager of Paris Saint-Germain. He left the French club at the end of last season.
Chelsea hired Potter after Thomas Tuchel’s tenure was cut short in September 2022. The Blues won 12, lost ten, and drew eight of his 31 games in charge. They are currently 11th in the Premier League. While the west Londoners have advanced to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, they will face holders Real Madrid.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, the Blues’ co-owners, explained their decision to fire Potter, saying (via the Blues’ website): “On behalf of everyone at the club, we would like to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea. We have the utmost respect for Graham as a coach and as a person, and he has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity, and we are all disappointed in this outcome.” They went on to say: “Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season.
We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarterfinal ahead of us, and we will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high.” Julian Nagelsmann is the betting favorite to be the next Chelsea manager, according to Betfair.
Apart from Nagelsmann, the other candidates are Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane. Nagelsmann is a young coach who has the potential to become a long-term manager at Stamford Bridge. On a tactical level, the 35-year-old is an excellent coach. He would also have the financial means to construct a project that would help the club remain at the top for the foreseeable future.
It remains to be seen whether he is eventually appointed, as he has never coached outside of Germany. “As reported yesterday, Julian Nagelsmann is the favorite to replace Graham Potter as new Chelsea head coach. Nagelsmann was mentioned yesterday during internal discussions — Julian is considered a talented coach. Talks are ongoing to make the best decision.” Mr. Fabrizio Romano Mr. Fabrizio Romano
