The 2023/24 season has finally come to a close for Chelsea Football Club, and whilst it did not end up as a campaign to remember for Blues fans, they managed to secure European football at the death.
Their form towards the back end of the season was impressive, and manager Mauricio Pochettino helped his side to sixth in the Premier League. They will have European football at the club once again, after a season of just domestic football.
However, despite their positive end to the season, the news broke on Tuesday that the club would part ways with manager Pochettino. The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss signed a two-year deal with the option of a third but was removed from his post following the climax of the season.
Since then, rumours have been flying about who the Blues will appoint as Pochettino’s replacement. They have been heavily linked with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, although he is thought to be waiting for the Manchester United job to become available.
According to The Mirror journalist Darren Lewis, other names on Chelsea’s list are thought to include Brentford manager Thomas Frank and Championship-winning Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca.
However, there is one other name who could well be in the running for the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s managerial plans for the summer
The person in question here is former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, who recently left his post with the Seagulls after just under two years in charge at the Amex Stadium.
According to John Percy and Matt Law of The Telegraph, Chelsea’s fourth mystery candidate for the vacant post at Stamford Bridge could well be Italian De Zerbi. An approach for him has not been ruled out, although he is 'considered by sources to be an outlier in the race' to become the new Chelsea manager.
Although the former Sassuolo boss is currently without a club, Percy and Law explain that Brighton would still be owed £5m for any club that wishes to appoint De Zerbi, yet that is far less than the £15m that he would have cost before his decision to leave the club.
According to Italian journalist Daniele Longo of Calcio Mercato, there are other European heavyweights interested in acquiring De Zerbi’s services. Namely, they are Portuguese side FC Porto and French outfit Marseille. However, Longo explains that De Zerbi prefers to wait for a Premier League move, an opportunity which Chelsea could provide him.
How De Zerbi would benefit Chelsea
Chelsea’s owner, Todd Boehly, is an incredibly demanding figure who expects immediate success, which has largely been the downfall of the previous Chelsea managers under him. Take Pochettino as an example; just simply reaching the Carabao Cup final was ultimately not good enough, and he was sacked.
In De Zerbi, they would have a manager who can have an immediate impact. In his first season at Brighton, the Italian coached his side to sixth in the Premier League, earning European football.
Whilst he did not do as well in season two on the South Coast, given the lack of money he had to spend, De Zerbi is someone who could come in and have an instant impact; exactly what Boehly needs from his manager, given the money spent.
Stat
Number
Matches
89
Wins
38
Draws
20
Losses
31
In fact, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand compared De Zerbi to a very successful Chelsea manager of yesteryear, Jose Mourinho. Like Mourinho, Ferdinand explained how De Zerbi is “making players feel a million dollars”, following a conversation with former teammate Danny Welbeck, who has thrived under De Zerbi at Brighton.
In chatting to Welbeck – and Seagulls teammate Adam Lallana – Ferdinand claims to have “never seen the duo speak in such glowing terms about a manager”, which is impressive given they played under the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp.
Given his charisma, ability as a manager and the potential to have an immediate impact, De Zerbi could be the perfect replacement for Pochettino at Chelsea. Whilst he is not reportedly high up on the list of suitors at the minute, it would be a cheap and easy deal to do, and bringing in a manager so highly thought of, could be a masterstroke for Chelsea.
The previous ownership regime – under Roman Abrahmovic – secured almost immediate success with the appointment of Mourinho, the enigmatic Portuguese winning two league titles in his first two seasons at the club after arriving in 2004.
With the chance to land another relatively youthful, charismatic figure in the form of De Zerbi, the hope will be that similar honours are to follow.
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