Who will be the next manager of Chelsea Football Club? That is a question we find ourselves asking much sooner than anticipated. It is pretty clear by now that sacking Enzo Maresca in the middle of the season was a massive error. Just like showing Thomas Tuchel the exit door back in 2022 was, a decision that the Blues have never really recovered.
One bad managerial appointment after another, and here is where we find ourselves, four years into this BlueCo project. The Liam Rosenior one was the worst one yet, and he is the one they brought in from Strasbourg. Despite spending north of a billion pounds, the recruitment team have not been able to put together a squad capable of qualifying for the Champions League consistently.
It is not just down to the managers. The owners, players, sporting directors, recruitment team and everybody else involved have to take accountability for how far Chelsea have slipped over these four seasons.
Now, it is about finding a way back to the top. Do BlueCo have what it takes to do that? We have our doubts. Especially after the amount of money that has been squandered. The damage has been done and it might take years to even get back to where they had started. Signing a top manager has to be the first step.
Good and bad news for Chelsea’s managerial search
Firstly, it looks like the club are now willing to change their ways when it comes to managers. According to The Telegraph, Chelsea have discussed taking a different route from their past two appointments and targeting a coach with top-level experience.
Of course, finding a top manager willing to take on the job might be a different story altogether. After what we have seen over these past four seasons, with how the club is run, anybody would have their doubts and rightfully so.
In fact, it has only been hours since Rosenior was sacked and rumoured candidates are already dropping out of the running. The same report states that Julian Nagelsmann is not thought to be interested at this time.
Nagelsmann drops out of race to be Chelsea manager
Nagelsmann was thought to be a Chelsea target in 2023 as well. He did not end up in the job back then. And it looks he has interest in taking it this time around either.
The thing is, Chelsea will need to change their approach drastically if they want to hire a top manager. Any elite head coach would want to have their say on the team, transfers and everything in between. You cannot expect them to work with whatever you provide them. Do you think Pep Guardiola works like that at Manchester City?
Andoni Iraola is another manager Chelsea have been linked with but let’s be real, he is not a top manager yet. Yes, he did well at Bournemouth, but can he succeed at a top club? There is a big difference between securing European football being a major success and a minimum expectation.
What Chelsea need right now is an elite manager. Someone like Xabi Alonso is available. But to convince him, they might need to give him the keys to the kingdom. Are BlueCo willing to do that? Or are we going to end up with another disappointing appointment?
