Chelsea will have to work hard to convince Julian Nagelsmann to take over from Graham Potter as their new manager before the end of the current season.
Potter’s wretched seven-month tenure was brought to an end on Sunday evening, just over 24 hours on from a 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge that left their hopes of qualifying for Europe next season in tatters.
A blockbuster Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid is on the horizon and Todd Boehly is reluctant to head into that tie without Potter’s permanent replacement in place.
Nagelsmann, sacked by Bayern Munich only last week despite the German giants still in contention to win the treble, has already emerged as the No.1 candidate to succeed Potter.
The 35-year-old is currently on holiday and, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, would prefer to wait until the summer to begin his next project, rather than join Chelsea with just a handful of games remaining this season.
That said, the Evening Standard add that Nagelsmann is certainly interested in the job though there is yet to be contact between the two parties.
Chelsea are understood to rate the former RB Leipzig coach extremely highly and will push hard to convince him to take the job immediately, but they are certain to consider alternatives.
Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane, as well as former Spain national team boss Luiz Enrique, are all currently out of work and would appear more suited to working under the levels of pressure and expectation that go hand-in-hand with the Chelsea manager’s job.
Enrique, who also won the Champions League during his time in charge of Barcelona, has also been linked with the vacant position at Tottenham but appeared to rule himself out of contention last week.
‘Since the World Cup finished I haven’t read the Spanish press, I haven’t looked at social networks, I only read the English press,’ Enrique told SER Gijon on Wednesday.
‘You can’t pretend or like everyone or control what they say about you. The important thing is to be calm and enjoy the things you like.
‘I would like to go to England to work.
‘But I don’t see myself in the Premier League in July because I would like to go to a team there that can do important things and that is very difficult.
‘I would not go to any Premier League team.
‘I have had offers from national teams but not from clubs. It would have to be a very important team to take it, although it would be very difficult for me to face Spain. I don’t know if I would be ready.’
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