De Zerbi, McKenna, Maresca? The contenders for the Chelsea job following Pochettino exit | OneFootball

Chelsea are in the market for their fourth permanent head coach and sixth in total in the last two seasons after parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino.

Despite ending the Premier League season on a run of five straight wins and achieving European qualification, Chelsea and Pochettino came to an agreement that he would leave the club immediately.

The decision to split with Pochettino just a year into his two-year contract, which also had the option for a further 12 months, has left many fans wondering what might have been, with the Argentine seemingly having set a young squad on the right path.

Chelsea are reportedly searching for a young, up-and-coming manager to take charge of the club’s young squad, with progressive tactics and who is able to develop the team into top-four contenders.

Here are the main contenders according to the bookies…

Roberto De Zerbi 7/4

With strong competition in the manager market from top clubs across Europe, the Blues are hoping to expedite the search for Pochettino’s successor, and former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has emerged as the bookmakers’ favourite, with an attack-minded style of play and record of developing young players making him an appealing prospect.

De Zerbi was in charge of the Seagulls for three years, leading the club to European qualification for the first time in its history before being knocked out of the Europa League in the Round of 16 by Roma.

The Italian’s time at Brighton will have prepared him well for the Chelsea job. His Brighton squad was populated with inexperienced, young players, and the Italian has played a big role in the rise of highly rated youngsters such as 19-year-old Evan Ferguson and 22-year-old João Pedro, who managed 20 goals in 40 appearances in 2023/24.

Kieran McKenna 7/2

Another heavily tipped to succeed Pochettino is Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, who is also a leading candidate to replace De Zerbi at Brighton. After achieving back-to-back promotions, leaving Ipswich would be a difficult decision for McKenna but the opportunity to work for a club the size of Chelsea could tempt him.

He has a track record of developing young players, including Chelsea’s Omari Hutchinson, who spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Portman Road, scoring 11 goals and earning the club’s Young Player of the Year award.

Enzo Maresca 4/1

Another Italian coach, Maresca left Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City last summer to take up the Leicester City job and won promotion in his first season with the club with a whopping 97 points. His possession style of play would likely suit the Chelsea owners’ ambitions but, like McKenna, it would be a big step up for the 44-year-old.

Ruben Amorim 4/1

The Sporting boss has long been linked with some of England’s top jobs, most recently at Liverpool, and is unsurprisingly high on the list of the odds for the next Blues boss. He has won two league titles with the club but it would take something special to tempt him away from Portugal.

Thomas Frank 6/1

The Danish coach has done a fantastic job with Brentford, winning promotion from the Championship in 2021 and then establishing the Bees as a Premier League club. Chelsea have recently hired Brentford’s set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva too, and the model Frank has worked under at the club has similarities to that of Chelsea’s.

Thomas Tuchel 16/1

Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea’s ownership not long after they took over at the club so it would certainly be a surprise to see him to return. But he is adored by Blues fans for their Champions League winning campaign and would be a popular choice.

Cesc Fabregas 18/1

Former Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who won four major trophies in five seasons at the Bridge, has made his first forays into management since retiring, achieving promotion with Como as assistant manager after joining in the summer of 2023, though his overall lack of managerial experience is not likely to attract the Chelsea hierarchy.

Sebastian Hoeness 18/1

Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness has taken the club to a second-placed finish in the Bundesliga this season, ahead of Bayern Munich, which has caught the eye of many big clubs. But Hoeness signed a contract extension until June 2027, likely highlighting a desire to stay in Germany.