Vincent Kompany is one of the managers on Chelsea’s shortlist for their new permanent head coach, alongside Mauricio Pochettino and one other unnamed manager. Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is no longer in the running for the job. Chelsea sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are leading the recruitment process, which has been ongoing since the club sacked manager Graham Potter at the start of April. Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard was then named interim manager until the end of the season.
Kompany has this season led Burnley to promotion from the Championship in his first year in charge at Turf Moor, transforming the team’s style into attractive, attacking football. This impressive season has also led to him being linked with the vacant Tottenham job. Meanwhile, Pochettino has been without a job since being sacked by Paris St-Germain last summer and is best known for his work at Chelsea’s rivals Tottenham, where he managed for five years and reached the Champions League final in 2019. Former Spain and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique had been among the contenders but he has reportedly not made Chelsea’s shortlist after initial talks.
Former West Ham, Aston Villa and Bolton midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker told BBC Radio 5 Live that Kompany being on the shortlist was a “surprise to me” and warned him to be wary of going to Chelsea as “right now, for me, that club is toxic”. Don Hutchison, who made 220 Premier League appearances for five clubs, suggested that Chelsea should be considering Brighton boss Roberto di Zerbi instead. He said that if they brought De Zerbi in, they should give him money and licence to bring players in, but also choose the 12-15 that go out the door.