Chelsea ‘close’ to manager appointment; ‘irked’ Nagelsmann wants ‘approach’ from Tottenham
Chelsea are reportedly ‘getting closer’ to appointing Mauricio Pochettino as Graham Potter’s permanent replacement as talks are now ‘more advanced’.
The Blues have been on the lookout for a new permanent manager since Potter was sacked at the start of this month. Frank Lampard is the club’s interim manager but he is set to be replaced before next season.
Chelsea have been heavily linked with Julen Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique in recent weeks but it is now being reported that ex-Spurs boss Pochettino is likely to join the Premier League club.
The Independent are now reporting that Pochettino is ‘edging closer to the Stamford Bridge hot seat’.
Pochettino and Chelsea have ‘discussed a timeframe for when to take over, which would likely involve a summer start, as well as potential transfers as his talks to become new manager have reached the next stage’.
The report notes that Pochettino is ‘not certain’ to be Chelsea’s next manager but ‘discussions have been more advanced than at least one of the other candidates’.
Burnley’s Vincent Kompany and a ‘secret candidate’ are ‘still in the frame’ but ‘it is not thought that’ the Man City legend will leave the Clarets at this time.
One reason why Chelsea reportedly ended talks with Nagelsmann was that the club’s hierarchy were told that he is ‘too like Thomas Tuchel’.
The former Bayern Munich boss has moved on and is ‘open to an approach from Tottenham Hotspur, which could complete quite a merry-go-round of managers for the summer’.
READ MORE: Next Chelsea manager… Pochettino odds-on favourite after Nagelsmann talks end
A separate report from Ben Jacobs explained why Pochettino is a “strong fit” for Chelsea and why Nagelsmann was “irked” by the club.
“Mauricio Pochettino would be a strong fit at Chelsea. Club sources have always maintained throughout the process to date no singular favourite has been determined, but with only three primary candidates left it’s clear Pochettino has impressed in talks,” Jacobs tweeted.
“Chelsea are hoping to complete the hiring process relatively fast now. There’s no specific deadline, but there’s a feeling significant headway can be made before the month is out. A recommendation will be put to Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
“Pochettino was also considered prior to Graham Potter’s arrival. He wasn’t entirely sold due to starting post-window and in-season, and having only recently left PSG.
“There was a feeling Chelsea’s structure needed to develop. Now there’s a recruitment team and he can start pre-season, which has led to positive talks to date.
“Again, #CFC are being thorough. They haven’t promised any one name a managerial coronation, which irked Nagelsmann, who was reluctant to go through the exhaustive process. Chelsea did their due diligence with mixed feedback on him.”
