’s search for a new permanent manager has taken another twist with the Blues’ hierarchy going cold on and making first contact with , according to reports.
The west London club sacked at the start of the month and have begun conducting a thorough and exhaustive search for a new head coach.
Former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique and axed Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann quickly emerged as the frontrunners, while the Spaniard was thought to have .
But now are reporting that Luis Enrique is no longer considered one of the leading candidates as Chelsea’s hierarchy whittle down their shortlist.
No further talks are planned with the 52-year-old, who actually travelled to London two weeks ago for face-to-face talks with co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley – who are leading the managerial hunt.
While Chelsea may have cooled their interest in Luis Enrique, they have now finally made contact with former Tottenham manager Pochettino.
The Argentine has long been linked with the job and was actually approached when the club sacked Thomas Tuchel last summer, though they opted to hire Potter instead.
Yet neither Spurs – who have also been linked with a move for their old head coach – or Chelsea have made fresh contact until now, with further talks expected between the west London club and Pochettino in the coming days.
It remains to be seen if Pochettino would be prepared to join his one-time London rivals, though he has not been inundated with offers since losing his job at PSG and Tottenham are, somewhat surprisingly, reluctant to be reunited.
Despite Spurs fans repeatedly chanting Pochettino’s name since Antonio Conte was sacked, Tottenham’s hierarchy have not reached out to him and he does not appear to be in the frame to take over in north London.
Luis Enrique, however, is well liked by Spurs – especially so by Fabio Paratici, though the Italian is not currently involved in club affairs – and Tottenham could now be granted a free run at appointing the Spaniard.
Nagelsmann, meanwhile, remains one of the key names in the frame to take over at Stamford Bridge and further talks will take place with the German.
Other names have been linked with the post, such as former River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo and Sporting’s highly rated young coach Ruben Amorim – though the latter is also believed to be low down in Chelsea’s current thinking.
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