HITC understands that Chelsea have already been working hard on Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement.
Sources have confirmed to HITC that the Argentine has parted company with the West London giants following talks between the club’s co-owners Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano – at which point he knew his time at Stamford Bridge was all but done.
Boehly met with Pochettino last week and it is believed he was keen for the Argentine to stay, but the rest of the club’s hierarchy were keen on a change and as such Chelsea are now looking for a new head coach.
Whilst Eghbali et al will have the final say on the new boss – sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley will lead the search itself.
Indeed, HITC can confirm that Stewart and Winstanley have been doing due diligence on potential managerial candidates in recent weeks, as if a change was made they did not want to be unprepared.
Chelsea want ‘young’ manager who fits their long-term project
Going forward HITC is told by sources that Chelsea want a ‘young’ manager who is ‘forward thinking’ and wants to ’embrace’ the long-term project at Stamford Bridge.
HITC has been informed that Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna is appreciated, but Brighton are progressing with their own move for him and are confident they can lure him to the AMEX Stadium in the coming days.
Others in the picture include Burnley’s Vincent Kompany, Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Leicester’s Enzo Maresca and Girona’s Michel.
Andoni Iraola rated highly but move looks unlikely
HITC can also reveal that Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola is someone who they rate highly – but his recent new deal makes a move unlikely.
Bologna’s Thiago Motta is also known to have fans within the club – but he appears to be on his way to Juventus to replace Max Allegri.
As it stands Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and former Brighton chief Roberto De Zerbi, whilst discussed, are not seen as leading candidates. Former boss Thomas Tuchel is not believed to be under consideration.
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