Julian Nagelsmann is keen to coach next in the Premier League; the German, 35, was recently sacked by Bayern Munich, but is on the radar of Chelsea and Spurs; Despite holding talks for their new manager, Chelsea have no plans to cut short Frank Lampard's spell as interim coach
Tuesday 18 April 2023 17:03, UK
Chelsea officials have met Julian Nagelsmann face to face for the first time, as the club progress their search for a new manager.
While Nagelsmann is well known to many in the Chelsea hierarchy - directors Chris Vivell and Laurence Stewart worked with him at RB Leipzig - both Stewart and his co-sporting director Paul Winstanley flew to Germany at the end of last week to hold talks with the former Bayern Munich boss.
Anthony Barry's situation could yet prove a useful negotiating position. The Chelsea coach worked under both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, but he is currently on gardening leave, after Bayern made it clear Tuchel wants him as part of his coaching team in Germany.
Talks between Chelsea and Bayern are ongoing to try to resolve that situation, and that could be significant if Chelsea decide Nagelsmann is the manager they want next. Bayern may be due compensation, depending on when (and if) their former manager takes over at Stamford Bridge.
Nagelsmann is one of a number of candidates Chelsea are considering for the summer, including Luis Enrique, Mauricio Pochettino and Ruben Amorim.
As Sky Sports News reported in the autumn, the Sporting boss Amorim is highly thought of at Stamford Bridge, and was under consideration before the club opted instead for Graham Potter in September.
Despite a disappointing start, Chelsea currently have no plans to cut short Frank Lampard's reign as manager for the remainder of this season.
Lampard has overseen three defeats in his first three games, with Chelsea scoring just once in those 270 minutes.
Chelsea's expected goals under Lampard has dipped considerably by comparison with his predecessor, Graham Potter - Lampard's xG for the three matches is 2.33 (0.78 per game).
Potter's final three matches before he was sacked had a total of 6.1 xG (and he averaged 1.39 xG for his whole time in charge).
After being beaten 2-1 by Potter's former side Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, Lampard said Chelsea must react as they prepare to face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
He told Sky Sports: "It was the most deserved one. More than defeats it is performance we have to talk about. Results only come with performance. This is a really good Brighton team, so we must give them credit. But we were a yard short, a tackle short, a fight in a duel short and when that's not right you're not going to win games. We need to turn that around quickly.
"It's for me to try to get to the bottom of it quickly. We need training time but we don't have training time. For things that are a must for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - sprints, recovery runs… it wasn't really there [on Saturday]. From that performance, we certainly have work to do.
"I can't say it wasn't a bad game and we didn't deserve to lose, the players wouldn't expect that. The only thing that matters now is a reaction."
Julian Nagelsmann was labelled a 'PR stunt' at the start of his career. The man who turned down Real Madrid before turning 31, is now wanted by Chelsea and Tottenham. Here's the definitive guide to the former Bayern Munich manager...
'Schnapsidee' - a crackpot idea that could only be fuelled by alcohol - screamed a headline in the German publication Frankfurter Rundschau. Their counterparts, Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, went for the simpler but no less stinging 'PR stunt.'
It was early 2016 and the local press pack weren't pulling any punches when Hoffenheim placed a 28-year-old Julian Nagelsmann in charge of their first team.
Flick on a few years and the youngest permanent manager in Bundesliga history was turning down Real Madrid before celebrating his 31st birthday. Let go by Bayern Munich in March - a decision that has split the dressing room and club legends - he is now wanted by Chelsea and Tottenham.
Nagelsmann will manage in the Premier League - it is only a matter of where and when. His career has been moulded by personal tragedy that made it easy to drown out dissenting voices, frame football in perspective, and peel back before making major decisions.
April 12: Real Madrid (A), Champions League quarter-final, kick-off 8pm
April 15: Brighton (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
April 18: Real Madrid (H), Champions League quarter-final, kick-off 8pm
April 26: Brentford (H) - Premier League, kick-off 7.45pm
May 2: Arsenal (A) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 6: Bournemouth (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 13: Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 20: Manchester City (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 28: Newcastle (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
TBA: Man Utd (A) - Premier League
