Seven managers who could replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, including Kieran McKenna, as Blues reveal bombshell exit

Contrasting names such as Kieran McKenna and José Mourinho are on a list of seven possible successors to Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea.

The Blues announced the end of Pochettino’s 12-month reign on Tuesday night, despite five consecutive wins to secure sixth place in the Premier League.

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Ipswich’s promotion-winning boss McKenna was immediately mentioned, having previously been linked with Manchester United and Brighton.

The 38-year-old candidate is the youngest in a group of predominantly young candidates.

The main exception is the “special” hypothesis mentioned.

Of course it is Mourinho, 61, who won three Prem titles in his two previous spells as Stamford Bridge manager.

The former Red Devils and Real Madrid coach was fired from his last position, in charge of Roma, four months ago.

However, SportItaly claim that the Portuguese is being selected by the Saudi club Al-Qadisiyah to become sporting director.

Pochettino’s record at Chelsea

MAURICIO POCHETTINO was just starting to turn Chelsea around.

An impressive run of form towards the end of the season saw the Blues leapfrog the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle to finish sixth in the Premier League – and earn a place in the Europa League.

But it wasn’t enough to keep him in his job as it was announced on Tuesday night that the Argentine had left.

Here are all of Pochettino’s Stamford Bridge stats:

Premier League – 6^th

FA Cup – Semi-finals (lost to Man City)

Carabao Cup – Runner-up (lost to Liverpool)

Full registration:

Games 51
Win 26
Draws 11
14 defeats

Goals for 103
Goals against 74

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Other coaches tipped for the Blues job include Leicester City’s championship-winning boss Enzo Maresca, 44, and Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness, 42.

There is also room on the roster for two highly regarded and now unemployed coaches.

Roberto De Zerbi, 44, could be considered the most likely candidate, having also been rated as a potential Old Trafford candidate even before he left Brighton this week.

And former Bayern manager Hansi Flick, 59, has not been in management since being sacked as Germany coach in September 2023.

Here’s our guide to seven men who could be in contention for Stamford Bridge…

Kieran McKenna

The former Manchester United assistant led Ipswich to consecutive promotions from League One to the Premier League.

This has caused his stock to skyrocket and he may be tempted to jump ship for a big job.

Roberto DeZerbi

The Italian left Brighton at the end of the season after a year and a half in charge.

He was linked with a number of key roles at the start of the campaign, but a string of difficult results saw him fall out of contention for the likes of Liverpool.

De Zerbi’s attacking style would be popular at Stamford Bridge.

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Enzo Maresca

Maresca was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City and worked wonders at Leicester, righting the ship to send the Foxes back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Appointing a Pep disciple has turned Arsenal into title contenders, so it could work for Chelsea too.

Hansi movie

Flick was one of the most sought-after coaches in football after winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich. But everything went wrong in his next role, becoming the first coach to be fired by Germany.

Now he’s ready to return and could be a smart move for the Blues

Sebastian Honesse

Chelsea fans may not have heard of him, but Hoeness is Germany’s next big thing.

Hoeness transformed Stuttgart from relegation candidates into the second best team in the Bundesliga, finishing above Bayern Munich.

Only the invincible Bayer Leverkusen got in the way of a miracle.

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Michel

Michel Sanchez did wonders with little Girona in Spain.

The minnows were right in the race for the LaLiga title at Christmas, before seeing Real Madrid rocket away.

But they overtook illustrious Catalan neighbors Barcelona into second place and secured a place in the Champions League. Reports in Spain say this has caught the attention of Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho

Still adored by Stamford Bridge fans who never liked former Spurs manager Pochettino, Mourinho would be a popular choice.

Winner of three Premier Leagues with the Blues in two topsy-turvy spells, will he be the man to take Chelsea back to the top?

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