FOUR managers remain in contention to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, according to reports.
The Argentine shockingly quit the Blues on Tuesday by mutual consent after just one season in charge.
Chelsea chiefs are working hard to land his replacement and hope to do so within the next week.
Sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart are in charge of appointing a new boss.
And the duo have narrowed down their lengthy shortlist to four.
The Telegraph claim Leicester manager Enzo Maresca, Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, Brentford boss Thomas Frank and another unnamed candidate remain in contention.
Interest in Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Girona’s Michel has been dropped.
Further talks are expected with the four coaches to decide which one is the club’s first choice.
Reports suggest that Maresca, McKenna and Frank all open to potentially leaving their clubs for Chelsea.
Maresca’s release clause at Leicester is worth a supposed £8.5million.
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MAURICIO POCHETTINO had just started to turn Chelsea around.
An impressive run of end-of-season form saw the Blues leapfrog the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle to finish sixth in the Premier League – and earn a Europa League spot.
But it wasn’t enough to keep him in a job as it was announced on Tuesday evening that the Argentine had left.
Here are all Pochettino’s Stamford Bridge stats:
Premier League – 6th
FA Cup – Semi-finals (lost to Man City)
Carabao Cup – Runners-up (Lost to Liverpool)
Total record:
Games 51
Wins 26
Draws 11
Defeats 14
Goals for 103
Goals against 74
And the Italian worked with Chelsea’s director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields while he was a coach at Manchester City.
McKenna and Frank’s buyout clauses are both thought to be cheaper.
And the latter also has links to those inside Stamford Bridge via new set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva.
He has just made the short move across West London from Brentford to Chelsea and Frank could follow.
Enzo Maresca is considered among the most exciting young coaches on the planet.
Born in Italy in 1980, he managed to guide Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as Foxes boss.
His management career started at Italian minnows Ascoli before he was snapped up by Man City in 2020 to manage their Elite Development Squad.
He guided the youth team to the Premier League 2 title in his one season working for the Citizens – with Cole Palmer in the side.
His first senior job was with Parma but he was sacked after just a few months after failing to impress.
Despite the team playing in Serie B and Maresca having an impressive squad he was unable to get them on course for promotion.
He returned to Man City and worked as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants for the 2022/23 season as they won the Treble.
He took over relegated Leicester last summer and made an immediate impact, with the Foxes winning the Championship title.
Maresca showed his dedication to the job by living at the training ground for the first two months after his appointment.
He’s considered something of a Pep disciple and has said: “For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player.”
During his playing career he played under Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi – and alongside ex-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
