Five managers Chelsea could turn to after sacking Tuchel

Chelsea shocked a lot of people on Wednesday morning, when they announced that Thomas Tuchel had left the club less than two years after being appointed as head coach. 

The Blues revealed that the German had left on their official website, just hours after their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.

Now, owner Todd Boehly must focus his attention on appointing a successor to Tuchel, who became only the second Chelsea boss in history to guide the club to a Champions League triumph, back in 2021.

A number of names have already been linked with the vacant post, and here we take a look at five candidates that Chelsea might possibly consider.

Graham Potter

The early frontrunner for the role, according to Sky Sports, is Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter. Chelsea have reportedly been given permission to speak to the Englishman, it is claimed, as Boehly looks to act quickly and possibly get a replacement in before their trip to Fulham on Saturday. The former manager of Ostersund, Potter took charge of Swansea City in 2019 and spent just a year with the Welsh side before being appointed as manager of The Seagulls. Since then, he has impressed, guiding Brighton to a ninth-placed finish last season. This term, they have also started well, winning four of their opening six matches to climb up to fourth in the table.

Potter is the early favourite to take over at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino

Former Tottenham boss Pochettino would undoubtedly be a controversial appointment, considering his links with Chelsea’s bitter rivals. The Argentine did impress during his spell in north London, though, and has been linked with a number of high profile jobs in recent months, including the Manchester United vacancy prior to Erik ten Hag’s appointment. The former Southampton manager guided Spurs to the final of the Champions League in 2019, and also came close to winning the league during the 2015/16 campaign. He left Spurs in November 2019 and spent around 12 months away from football before joining Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021. Although he won the Trophee des Champions within his first few weeks in the job – the first trophy of his managerial career – he failed to win the Ligue 1 title during his first season in charge. He did, however, guide his side to the top flight title last season, before leaving the club over the summer.

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea in 2004 with a certain confidence that did little to command the respect of rival supporters, but he quickly earned the respect of most within the English game by winning the Premier League title during each of his first two seasons in charge. He also lifted the League Cup in 2005 and 2007, as well as the FA Cup, before leaving the club in September 2007 by ‘mutual consent’. He returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2013, having spent time with both Inter Milan and Real Madrid. During his second stint with the club, Mourinho watched his side lift the Premier League trophy once again, as well as the League Cup for a third time under his management. He only lasted until December 2015, though, when he was sacked due to poor results. The Portuguese now manages Italian side Roma, having been in charge of both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in recent seasons.

Mourinho enjoyed huge success during his time with Chelsea

Brendan Rodgers

One surprise name being linked with the Chelsea job is Brendan Rodgers, who spent time as the club’s reserve team manager before venturing into senior management. The Northern Irishman is currently in charge of Leicester City, but it has been rumoured that the 49-year-old may be flirting with the sack after The Foxes’ disastrous start to the season, which has seen them pick up just one point from their opening six league games. Rodgers has managed Swansea City and Liverpool before, but his biggest managerial success came in Scotland when he was in charge of Celtic. During his time in Glasgow, he won the Scottish Premiership twice, the Scottish Cup twice and the Scottish League Cup three times.

Zinedine Zidane

Zidane has only managed Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid midfielder enjoyed his first venture into management with the Spanish giants, initially with the club’s youth sides and then, in 2016, with the senior team. He won the Champions League three times across two spells, as well as the La Liga title on two occasions. The Frenchman’s name was another to be linked with the vacant post at Old Trafford toward the end of last season, but he remains out of a job having left Madrid in 2021.