Chelsea slumped to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in midweek and the immediate blow of this loss has impacted on Mauricio Pochettino’s future at the club, as per Matt Law of The Telegraph.
The embarrassing loss in the London Derby was Chelsea’s 11th Premier League loss of the season and after 32 games, the Blues are 9th on the league table with just 47 points against their name. Even last month, there were reports that Pochettino has the backing of the club’s management but the FA Cup exit and then this loss to Arsenal means the manager could be sacked in the coming weeks.
Pochettino did wonders with Tottenham Hotspur from 2014 to 2019 but he’s failed to replicate that same at Stamford Bridge. Obviously, he’s been unlucky with injuries but Chelsea have one of the biggest squads this season, despite that they have won just 13 out of the 32 league matches they have played so far.
With each passing loss, Pochettino is moving closer to a sack and their next two matches will be really crucial because they face Villa and Tottenham consecutively. If Chelsea fail to win these two games then the hunt for the next manager will intensify and we take at some of the probable for this high-profile job.
Thomas Tuchel:
Back in February, Thomas Tuchel announced that he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of this season and the German has some unfinished business at Chelsea. Even though Bayern are still alive in the Champions League, they have lost the league to Leverkusen which is considered a failure.
Tuchel left Chelsea in 2022 despite winning the Champions League with the club and there’s a small possibility that he could come back for a second stint. The 50-year-old won the UCL in the 20/21 season followed by the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Cup World Cup. However, a dismal 2022/23 season led to his sack.
Tuchel’s relationship with the new owners did not quite take off and with Chelsea eager to get back in Europe, Boehly might call the German back.
Jose Mourinho:
Mourinho is the go-to manager whenever a team wants to win trophies and the Portugal manager has had two successful stints at Stamford Bridge to prove his worth.
Under Jose Mourinho, pretty and free-flowing football is not a guarantee but the 61-year-old manager is a trophy magnet, something that the current Chelsea team are miles away from achieving. Jose was sacked as Roma’s manager back in January and if Chelsea make contact with him, there’s a chance he could return to the Premier League simply to prove to his former employers that he still has the recipe for success.
Roberto De Zerbi:
De Zerbi is currently managing Brighton and Hove Albion but looking at the brilliant job he’s done with the Seagulls, the 44-year-old is coveted by some top clubs.
He’s one of the candidates to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool but the Italian can be a fine candidate to become the next Chelsea manager as well. The Blues experimented with another Brighton manager in the form of Graham Potter but that plan fell flat on his face however, De Zerbi might be the one to bring back the glory days at Stamford Bridge.
Ruben Amorim:
Ruben Amorim, Sporting’s current manager is making waves across Europe with Liverpool and also West Ham United interested in signing him.
He was the favourite to replace Klopp but Liverpool seem to have hit a stumbling block in recent days and they have now shifted their focus to Feyenoord manager Arne Slot.
It’s being claimed that Liverpool were offering a much lower salary than what Amorim had demanded and that was the main reason why the talks have collapsed but Chelsea won’t mind paying a premium to bring him on board.
To conclude, Chelsea are a complete mess and while it’s not all Mauricio Pochettino’s fault, the manager has failed miserably at making the players play in a proper style and rhythm. It’s very hard to see him remain at the club beyond the summer but whoever the management brings in, they will have to make sure that he is a serial winner.
