Chelsea's
owners have concerns over Julian Nagelsmann's age with the 35-year-old one
of the names on the shortlist to replace Graham Potter.
Nagelsmann was sacked by Bayern Munich last month, but, despite wanting to
take a break until the summer, he is willing to listen to what Chelsea have
to say.
The Blues are impressed with his credentials and he ticks a lot of boxes,
but co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have concerns that he is only
35.
Nagelsmann worked at RB Leipzig with Chelsea technical director Christopher
Vivell, who is a big admirer of the German.
The search for a new head coach is being led by Chelsea sporting directors
Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with the final decision to be made by
the owners.
There is still yet to be any contact from Chelsea over Nagelsmann with
Bayern, who are due compensation if they want him.
Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn told Sky in Germany on Sunday night
before Potter was sacked that he does not expect Nagelsmann to take another
job this season.
Chelsea owners are impressed with
Pochettino
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was a candidate when Thomas
Tuchel was sacked in September but Chelsea opted to appoint Potter.
The owners, however, were impressed with the Argentine and he is someone
they have a lot of respect for.
The 51-year-old has been out of work since July after he was sacked by Paris
Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to see Chelsea going back to Brighton again in a
move for their head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
The Italian is happy at Brighton and is likely to stay on the south coast
despite interest from managerless Tottenham.
It is also understood the Chelsea job is considered too big for Eintracht
Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner, who will be in demand this summer after doing
a great job with the Bundesliga club having guided them to Europa League
glory last season.
And there is no chance of Chelsea appointing Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti
now with the Italian club 16 points clear at the top of Serie A and looking
forward to a Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan.
What's the process to appoint Potter's successor?
"Chelsea feel they're in a much better place now to identify the right man
than they were in September," Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol
said.
"They feel that now they've got a proper structure at the club, they've got
two sporting directors [Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley], they're going
to lead the search for a new manager. They want to make sure they're
thorough, they want to make sure that they speak to different candidates.
Ideally they'd like to do this quickly, but they want to make sure that they
get the right person and they believe they've got the structure in place to
do that."
Could Nagelsmann be the person to replace
Potter?
Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"Nagelsmann is widely considered to be the best young manager in the game.
He could be the next Jose Mourinho.
"I think Chelsea have got a chance of getting him. He wants to take a break
after losing his job at Bayern Munich.
"All these managers now, they feel like they shouldn't just jump from one
job to another job. They need a break to recharge their batteries and keep
options open.
"From what Sky in Germany are telling us, if Chelsea were to get in touch
with him and his people, I think he would definitely listen to them because
Chelsea is one of the best jobs in world football.
"The London location, being in the Premier League, having such rich owners
and an incredible squad to work with - it ticks a lot of boxes for managers,
so I think Nagelsmann is gettable if they want him.
"Chelsea just need to pick up the phone and also they need to speak to
Bayern Munich as well, because Sky in Germany are telling us that
contractually he is still tied to Bayern and they would be involved in the
process if he was to take another job.
"What's interesting is that it could be Bayern Munich vs Chelsea in the
Champions League semi-final and then you could have Tuchel versus
Nagelsmann. I think Bayern Munich are being quite cute and clever because
they don't want Nagelsmann having all their secrets and using them for
Chelsea in a potential semi-final."
Are there other candidates?
Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"You've got to consider Pochettino. They've spoken to him before. I think he
was quite close to getting the job before. He is obviously still available.
"The latest information we had from him was that he's keeping his options
open as well. I think he would rather wait until the summer to see what is
available. There's quite a lot of jobs likely to become available with Real
Madrid potentially being one destination.
"Other people that are available include Luis Enrique and Zinedine Zidane.
"They're going to be getting a lot of calls from agents of some of the best
managers in the world.
"We've been getting calls from agents of managers pushing their clients and
their credentials.
"I think they're in a better place now than they were in September to make
sure they pick the right person.
"But what is 100 per cent guaranteed is they won't be taking a risk. They
won't be appointing an up-and-coming coach, it must be somebody who's got
Champions League experience, a big-name manager with personality, charisma
with an aura.
"They've got to immediately get the respect of that dressing room because
the dressing room at Chelsea historically has been very, very powerful.
"You need to be a Mourinho, a Tuchel, an Antonio Conte or a Carlo Ancelotti
to control it and dominate it."
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