Chelsea’s search for a new manager could be about to come to an end.
Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea last week, leaving the club needing to bring in someone for the Stamford Bridge dugout.
Several names have been linked with the vacancy, including Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Roberto De Zerbi, formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Whoever takes over from Pochettino will have to manage in the Europa Conference League instead of the Europa League next season.
Chelsea lost their spot in European football’s second-tier competition following Manchester United’s triumph in the FA Cup final over the weekend.
The favourite for the Chelsea job
Up until now, there has not been too much talk about Chelsea having a leading candidate for the vacancy at Stamford Bridge.
None of the above names seemed to be out in front or at least not by a long distance.
However, that now looks to have changed.
According to the Daily Mail, one club insider has described De Zerbi as the “favourite” for the job because he ticks the boxes Chelsea are looking for.
Roberto De Zerbi’s tactics
It is not hard to understand why Chelsea are considering De Zerbi right now.
The Italian has obviously managed in the Premier League after his time at Brighton and his brand of football is probably what the club’s owners want to see. Pep Guardiola has described both him and his team as “unique” in the past.
De Zerbi, who mostly used a 4-2-3-1 formation this season, plays a very attacking and possession-oriented style of football.
According to WhoScored, Brighton had the fifth-highest average for shots per game in the Premier League this term (14.8) and the fourth-highest ball possession (60.2%).
It is what you would expect from one of the top sides in the country, so De Zerbi could be the perfect manager for a club like Chelsea. Out of all of the names currently being linked with the job, the 44-year-old should be at the top of their list.