Chelsea are without a permanent head coach, with Bruno Saltor taking over the club in an interim role following Graham Potter's departure over the weekend. However, the London giants already have a plan in place to find the Englishman's successor.
According to the Telegraph, the Blues have drawn up a five-man shortlist of candidates to interview for the vacant role, with—surprise, surprise—Julian Nagelsmann being the early favorite.
Unlike when Potter was appointed to replace Thomas Tuchel, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali will not spearhead to process to find the next boss. Instead, sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley will handle this search.
Nagelsmann has worked with Stewart and Winstanley before during his time at RB Leipzig and the German is open to the idea of moving to Stamford Bridge. However, the former Bayern Munich boss prefers to wait until the summer as there will be offers from other clubs, possibly even Real Madrid.
One thing should be stressed: while there have been claims that Chelsea have already chosen Nagelsmann as their man, this isn't the case. The two-time UEFA Champions League winners have four other candidates they wish to interview before making a decision.
Two other men in the running are Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique. Both are out of work and both are open to the idea of joining the Blues. In fact, Pochettino was a candidate to replace Tuchel before Boehly and Co. ultimately opted for Potter. However, just like with Nagelsmann, the Argentine prefers to wait until the summer when he can weigh his options.
The English side are also keen on staging talks with Napoli's Luciano Spalletti, who is currently leading the Serie A giant to a historic Scudetto. As for the fifth candidate, it could come down to one of Eintracht Frankfurt's Oliver Glasner or Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim.
While their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal showdown with Real Madrid is fast approaching, Chelsea have put no timeline on their search for a new head coach. Tottenham are in a similar position while Los Blancos could see Ancelotti leave over the summer, which means Boehly and Co. could be in a race to find the next best tactician.
