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Football betting sites have started pricing up the next Chelsea manager market following a horrendous week of results for Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues’ campaign looked to be improving slightly after a middling opening half of the season, reaching the EFL Cup final and edging towards the Premier League’s top six.
But, their momentum has been halted by back-to-back hammerings at the hands of Liverpool and Wolves. Chelsea faced the most shots in their Premier League history at Anfield and were fortunate to escape only conceding four goals.
Matters failed to improve on home soil against Wolves, where Matheus Cunha ran riot for the Midlands outfit to score a hat-trick in a dominant 4-2 win.
The results have piled the pressure on Pochettino, whose record in the Premier League is now worse than Chelsea’s last permanent manager - Graham Potter – after attaining only 31 points from 23 matches.
The Argentine is now second to Roy Hodgson with betting sites to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post.
With Pochettino’s future at Stamford Bridge up in the air, odds are now available for the next Chelsea manager, and we’ve looked at the top contenders for the role.
Next Chelsea manager odds
- Hansi Flick – 6/1 Parimatch
- Roberto De Zerbi – 8/1 BetVictor
- Jose Mourinho – 10/1 Parimatch
- Gareth Southgate – 12/1 talkSPORT BET
- Miguel Sanchez – 12/1 Parimatch
- Ruben Amorim – 12/1 BetVictor
- Xabi Alonso – 12/1 Parimatch
- Zinedine Zidane – 12/1 talkSPORT BET
- Xavi Hernandez – 14/1 BetVictor
- Jurgen Klopp – 16/1 BetVictor
Flick the early frontrunner
Hansi Flick is the favourite with betting apps to replace Pochettino at 6/1, although he may not be a name that will entice Chelsea fans.
Although the 58-year-old had success in his two years with Bayern Munich, winning successive Bundesliga crowns and the Champions League in the 2019/20 campaign, his record since leaving Allianz Arena has been suspect.
Flick opted to leave Bayern at the end of the 2020/21 season to become the new head coach of the German national side.
After starting his reign with a 10-match unbeaten run, Germany would lose six of their next 15, including a 2-1 defeat to Japan that paved the way for a group stage exit from the 2022 World Cup.
Following another heavy defeat to Japan in 2023, the German FA took the decision to sack Flick ahead of Euro 2024, becoming the first Germany manager to be fired from the role.
Although his success at Bayern is noteworthy, it would be debatable whether he could improve Chelsea’s fortunes.
De Zerbi to follow in Potter’s footsteps?
Chelsea have not had great success by luring players and staff away from Brighton. The Blues paid a hefty £25m to secure Graham Potter’s signature last season, but his tenure lasted only 31 matches before he was sacked.
The club also paid an eye-watering £105m to sign Moises Caicedo from the Seagulls in the summer transfer window and his performances to date have been underwhelming to say the least.
So, there would be natural trepidation if Chelsea were to approach Brighton for Roberto De Zerbi’s services.
The Italian is priced at 8/1 to replace Pochettino, and although he has certainly made Brighton easier on the eye than his predecessor, results have been inconsistent.
The Seagulls have made a foray into the last-16 of the Europa League, while they’re on course for another top-half finish in the Premier League.
There’s no escaping the Brighton factor and whether Todd Boehly would be cautious about dipping his toes in those waters again could be decisive.
An emotional Mourinho return
Chelsea could turn to Jose Mourinho for a third spell in charge, and gambling sites have priced up the Portuguese at 10/1 to return to Stamford Bridge. Mourinho is still beloved by Chelsea fans following his exploits in his previous two stints in the Blues dugout.
The Portuguese delivered Chelsea’s first league title since 1955 before adding two further crowns as well as winning three League Cups and the FA Cup.
Both of his tenures ended on a sour note, resigning in 2007 after a slow start to the campaign and then left in 2015 in similar circumstances just months removed from lifting his third Premier League title with the club.
Since the end of his second spell, Mourinho’s magic appears to have worn off.
He endured an underwhelming two-and-half-a-year tenure at Manchester United, while the Portuguese also failed to ignite Tottenham’s fanbase in 18 months in North London. Mourinho was sacked from his most recent role with Roma after a poor run of results in Serie A.
Chelsea have a completely different hierarchy from Mourinho’s last spell at the club and that could pave the way for a return. But, his record over the last eight years has been largely disappointing.
Other candidates
There are a string of other strong contenders at odds of 12/1.
England manager Gareth Southgate is an eye-catching name, although he will be unavailable until the completion of the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 campaign. Depending on England’s fortunes, he may remain in the role for the 2026 World Cup.
Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is also featured, although he is odds-on to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool at the end of the season.
Chelsea have had success in attracting a manager from Portugal and Ruben Amorim’s CV is appealing after his exploits with Sporting. Zinedine Zidane’s outstanding record at Real Madrid, especially in the Champions League, would certainly be of interest to Boehly.
The only issue could be Zidane’s three-year absence from the game after leaving Madrid in 2021.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM