Chelsea are holding round-the-clock talks and meetings as they work swiftly and efficiently to appoint Mauricio Pochettino’s successor as head coach.
Telegraph Sport understands that Chelsea made an immediate start on their list of candidates to succeed Pochettino after his departure by mutual agreement was publicly confirmed on Tuesday night.
Kieran McKenna, Enzo Maresca, Sebastian Hoeness, Thomas Frank and Michel are all of interest to Chelsea, and the club have already made moves to check on more than one of those candidates.
Meetings and talks were held late on Tuesday night and continued on Wednesday, and into Wednesday evening, with Chelsea speaking to a number of people to establish how best to move forwards.
No firm time frame has been put on their appointment process, but Chelsea’s fast start indicates they want to find Pochettino’s successor quickly and do not intend to take five or six weeks as was the case when the club appointed the Argentine.
Chelsea spoke to at least five candidates to establish a final three-man shortlist before appointing Pochettino, but that process is expected to be streamlined this time around.
Chelsea will also be aware that they could face competition for some of their targets from Manchester United if they take too long.
United play the FA Cup final against Manchester City on Saturday and will not make a decision on Erik ten Hag’s future until after the match at Wembley.
Should Ten Hag get the sack, then United have been credited with an interest in at least two of the managers listed as candidates for the Chelsea job, Brentford’s Frank and McKenna, who Ipswich Town are prepared to offer a new contract to.
McKenna is also a target of Brighton, while there is thought to be rival interest in Leicester City manager Maresca from overseas. Italian reports have claimed Maresca has a release clause worth £8.5 million in his Leicester contract.
Sources in Germany have warned that Chelsea could find it hard to appoint Hoeness, who signed a new contract at Stuttgart that runs until June 2027.
Hoeness recently said: “You can definitely assume that I will also be the coach of VfB Stuttgart next year. If I had the idea of moving, then I certainly wouldn’t have extended my contract. I’m here out of conviction because I have the feeling that we can develop something together here. Nothing has changed from my perspective.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
