Decision-makers at Stamford Bridge have now decided the manager they’d prefer to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea next season.
Since Mauricio Pochettino left the club by mutual consent, speculation has been rife over the next Chelsea boss with several options in the running.
Fast-forward to now and it would appear that three candidates remain in the chase.
Brentford’s Thomas Frank is one, a high pressing manager with a likeable demeanour, and more importantly he has a wealth of experience in the Premier League.
Of course, there’s then Roberto De Zerbi, the Italian tactician who is imminently leaving Brighton & Hove Albion.
In comparison to Frank, De Zerbi is often considered to be a manager with a higher ceiling, but also one who is more abrasive, perhaps not making him the best fit for Chelsea.
And then there’s Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, who just brilliantly crafted a Championship winning campaign.
Perhaps Maresca is the candidate that is the ‘happy medium’ between the two names mentioned above, someone who appears ready made for Chelsea.
And with that in mind, The Independent have now shared their latest insight.
Chelsea’s football hierarchy now prefer Enzo Maresca over Roberto De Zerbi
Although Frank is listed by various other sources as still in hot contention, The Independent believes that Maresca and De Zerbi are now the main two choices.
The report says Frank is behind the other two candidates by ‘some distance’, making an appointment unlikely.
Furthermore, the update now states that Chelsea’s football hierarchy actually prefer a move to appoint Maresca at this point.
Chelsea’s co-owner, Behdad Eghbali, has taken to De Zerbi’s personality during the process of identifying a new boss, but otherwise it seems as if Maresca is the popular choice.
Maresca has already proven his ‘incredible’ credentials at Leicester, who would obviously be loath to lose him so soon after he masterminded their Premier League return.
But with an £8m release clause and a preference to manage in the English top flight, Maresca seems a good fit for Chelsea.
Maresca is seen as someone who can come in purely as a head coach, rather than a candidate who will rock the boat higher up.
Either way, it does seem that Chelsea fans will learn of the club’s appointment fairly soon, perhaps with Maresca now a shoe-in.
That being said, Fabrizio Romano has just shared an early morning update on links to Ruben Amorim.