Julian Nagelsmann is out of the running to be the next manager of Chelsea Football Club. Many saw the German as one of the favorites to get the spot. Bayern Munich sacked Nagelsmann in March after a relatively poor run of form. Specifically, club president Oliver Kahn called Nagelsmann’s style of play less stylish and exciting.
His next managerial role could have been at Stamford Bridge. The revolving door of managers at the London club this season saw Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter sacked after poor runs of form. Ironically, Tuchel replaced Nagelsmann at Bayern. Since then, Bayern crashed out of the Champions League and DFB-Pokal.
Nagelsmann, who had successful stints at both Bayern and his previous jobs RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim, seemed like someone that could right the ship at Chelsea. The Blues’ massively disappointing season looks to yield a mid-table finish, with elimination in the FA Cup early and the knockout stage of the Champions League. However, despite Chelsea executives meeting with him, the German backed out of the race.
Nagelsmann not the manager for Chelsea. Who is?
Although Nagelsmann topped the list for the manager job at Chelsea, he was certainly not the only one there. Instead, any available manager has circled the tabloids in regard to filling in the vacancy at Stamford Bridge.
For now, the most likely suitors seem to be Luis Enrique, Mauricio Pochettino and Vincent Kompany. The three have different variations of experience, but all can display at least some success. Enrique was the manager of Barcelona when it won the treble in 2015. However, his international stint with Spain did not exactly light up the world. Spain sacked him after elimination from the World Cup.
Pochettino will be a familiar face to Chelsea fans. His time at Tottenham Hotspur yielded some of the club’s most successful years. Although Spurs did not win any trophies, he regularly had the club in the top four, and he reached the Champions League Final with the north London outfit. He could join Chelsea or even return to Spurs.
Vincent Kompany is another interesting name. The current Burnley manager dominated the Championship in his first managerial role in England. Burnley clinched automatic promotion back to the Premier League in its first attempt. Pep Guardiola labeled the Belgian as his natural successor at Manchester City. He transformed the way Burnley played dramatically, and Chelsea would hope he can do the same at Stamford Bridge.
The challenge for Chelsea is that Tottenham is in the running for all these names, too. There are other managerial openings across Europe, as is the case in any offseason. Chelsea has intrigue, with managers having considerable leverage in the transfer market with Todd Boehly’s wallet. However, it is a major rebuilding job that any manager would have to undertake.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Revierfoto
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