Ranking the Top Candidates to Be Next Chelsea Boss After Mauricio Pochettino's Exit

Stop me if you've heard this one before: "Chelsea is on the lookout for a new manager."

Yes, the West London club has seemingly not kicked the habit of chopping and changing the man in the dugout at terrifying regularity. Mauricio Pochettino "mutually" agreed with the board to depart the club on Tuesday, as the Blues phrased the decision in a statement.

That means the club is in the market for its 21st manager in the last 20 years (including caretaker bosses and two stints each from José Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Frank Lampard.)

Things were looking rocky for Chelsea in April, prompting us to suggest a selection of possible replacements for the Argentinian should he be given his marching orders. But the Blues had seemingly turned a corner during the Premier League run-in, notching five consecutive victories to close out the campaign and smashing in 14 goals in the process.

That wasn't enough for the trigger-happy Chelsea hierarchy, who deemed it necessary to jettison the former Tottenham Hotspur boss in favor of a new flavor of the month after a sixth-place Premier League finish.

Four weeks can feel like a year in football terms, and the managerial merry-go-round that began after the curtain closed on league play has now gone into overdrive.

Unexpected departures and outstanding coaches being tipped for new jobs elsewhere have led to a chaotic market, and the options for Chelsea have broadened significantly. According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, a "young manager" is "the priority." Sorry, José.

With that in mind, who is the most likely candidate to take the Chelsea helm? The forecast suggests choppy waters, but someone will be brave (or foolish) enough to grab the opportunity with both hands.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was one of the first people mentioned by Romano as potential options being considered by the Chelsea hierarchy.

The Dane guided the Bees to the Premier League in 2021 and has kept them in the top flight since—even reaching ninth in the 2022-2023 campaign.

But is that really enough for a trophy-starved Chelsea, considering Frank has never won a major title? Is the 50-year-old, no matter his achievements at nearby Brentford, really the ideal profile for a club supposedly on the lookout for a "young manager?"

Frank will hopefully be given an opportunity at a bigger club sooner rather than later, but it just doesn't feel like Chelsea will be the one to give him the chance.

After taking VfB Stuttgart to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga, trailing record-breaking Bayer Leverkusen and leap-frogging the typically all-conquering Bayern Munich, Sebastian Hoeneß has quickly seen his name rise up managerial wishlists.

That will happen when you help your team qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2009-2010.

At 42 years old, he's probably closer to the desired age Chelsea is looking for, and helping a club rebuild so efficiently will be an ideal quality for the itchy-fingered Stamford Bridge board.

But Romano, being the all-knowing oracle that he is, quickly ruled out the German, saying he wanted to stay at Stuttgart for the time being.

Who are we to question him? But, if we've learned anything in the *checks notes* two days since the close of the Premier League season, it's that things move quickly in football. Maybe he shouldn't be fully discounted.

For the opening months of the La Liga campaign, Michel had his Girona side as the surprising leader in the Spanish top flight. While a third-place finish might be a little disappointing after scaling such heights, a little perspective is needed.

Girona was in its second consecutive La Liga season after securing promotion following the 2021-22 campaign, and the Catalonian side has never finished higher than 10th in the top tier. With the club set to play European football for the first time, it's safe to say it was a successful season.

With that, Michel has got the attention of clubs in need of fresh blood in the dugout.

As Girona is part of the City Football Group, it wouldn't be a surprise if the 48-year-old was considered as an option to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, with his compatriot's Manchester City exit perhaps not too far away.

Michel giving up a season of Champions League experience to take a job that could just as likely lead to reputational damage as it could success seems like a silly idea, especially when a huge job opportunity in a few years' time is on the horizon.

Enzo Maresca, the former journeyman midfielder and now managerial hot prospect, guided Leicester City agonizingly close to the 100-point mark in the Championship last season.

While he didn't manage that notable milestone, he still brought the Foxes back to the Premier League at the first time of asking by finishing top of English football's second tier.

In your first season at a new club and in just your second senior managerial role, that's a pretty impressive achievement. Having experienced the tutelage of Pep Guardiola while taking charge of Manchester City's development squad doesn't hurt, either.

Again, 44 years old probably sits just about in Chelsea's desired age group, and being able to assert your skills in a top job at such an early stage in your career is an opportunity that will make any ambitious coach salivate. But would Maresca really trade the chance to keep Leicester in the Premier League over the undoubted chaos at Stamford Bridge?

Stranger things have happened, of course, but Maresca should stay at the King Power Stadium for the time being.

If a young manager is what Chelsea is after, there are few younger than Kieran McKenna.

The 38-year-old has guided Ipswich Town to back-to-back promotions, bringing the Tractor Boys back to the English top flight for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign.

While he's done so on a tight budget, he's no stranger to dealing with highly paid stars at more illustrious clubs. He was promoted to assistant manager by Mourinho at Manchester United ahead of the 2018-19 season and remained in the position until December 2021.

With a bit of Mourinho's influence in his young coaching career, that trait will certainly appeal to Chelsea fans, who still adore the Portuguese.

But if he is in Chelsea's crosshairs, the club may need to offer him a convincing package. Brighton & Hove Albion, who just parted ways with Roberto De Zerbi, reportedly have McKenna in their sights to take over at the Amex Stadium, according to the Guardian.

It's not even a guarantee he will want to leave Ipswich, considering the pressure might be a little lower in East Anglia and he might want to see just what he can achieve with a club he's already had significant success with.

But he ticks a lot of Chelsea boxes. It just might be a case of persuading him it's a good step to take in his already laudable career.

Roberto De Zerbi seemed like a good option a month ago, and he looks an even better one now.

The Italian departed Brighton at the end of the 2023-24 season, doing so by mutual consent. After guiding the Seagulls to sixth in the Premier League the previous season, an 11th-place finish was somewhat disappointing, although the club also had to deal with a European campaign with a thin squad full of emerging talent.

While being linked to other top jobs probably turned his head a little, he also expressed some dissatisfaction with the club's ownership, perhaps hastening his departure.

After his exit from the south-coast club was announced, De Zerbi suggested he had no jobs lined up but that he hoped he would work in the Premier League again, per BBC Sport. With Chelsea regularly raiding Brighton for its best and brightest, the timing seems to be a bit too perfect, no?

The 44-year-old seems like the best fit at the right time. He might not want to unpack his bags too quickly, though.