Former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique in London to hold Chelsea talks; the Spaniard won the treble at Barcelona in 2014/15; Chelsea set to assess up to seven candidates, including Julian Nagelsmann, Frank Lampard an option if club appoint a caretaker manager
Wednesday 5 April 2023 19:25, UK
Former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique is in London to hold talks with Chelsea over their managerial vacancy.
The 52-year-old, who is out of work after leaving the Spain job following the World Cup, won the treble at Barcelona in 2014/15, lifting LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Chelsea are set to assess up to seven candidates, including Luis Enrique, as they undergo what they insist will be an "exhaustive process" to replace Graham Potter, who was sacked on Sunday after just seven months in charge.
Chelsea have not set a deadline and may wait until the summer to make a permanent appointment. They could instead appointment a caretaker manager and one option would be former manager Frank Lampard, who was in co-owners' Behdad Eghbali box for Tuesday's 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino, Ruben Amorim, Oliver Glasner and Luciano Spalletti are also among those under discussion internally at Chelsea. However, Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is not believed to on the list.
Sky in Germany are reporting Nagelsmann that talks between the former Bayern Munich head coach's representatives and Chelsea are ongoing and positive.
The 35-year-old wants to manage in the Premier League and sees it as his natural next destination but will not be rushing into a decision over his future amid strong interest from Chelsea and Tottenham.
The German wants a short period to reset after being sacked by Bayern last month and his preference is to oversee a full pre-season when taking on a new job.
However, his agency, Sports360, will be listening to proposals and have already fielded sounding-out calls from Chelsea and Spurs.
More formal contact is set to be made, and an agreement being reached in the coming weeks that only becomes effective next season has not been ruled out.
No potential suitors have yet made contact with Bayern over compensation, something only expected to happen when Nagelsmann has settled on his new employers.
Jamie Carragher believes Chelsea are likely to appoint a 'top level' manager having mentioned Luis Enrique on Monday Night Football.
He told Sky Sports: "Do they go back to this idea of an up-and-coming coach like Potter but someone who has a bit more of a CV behind him and that the players will get behind a bit more?
"But that club is used to bringing in managers and managers who are available right now like a Zidane, like a Luis Enrique and Nagelsmann. Managers who have managed at the top level.
"It's what Chelsea have done in the past and I know it was a different owner, and I am not being critical at all because I don't like some of the criticism the club has received for sacking another manager. It works for them.
"They win trophies, they change managers and when you are a manager going into Chelsea you know what the score is, so don't complain when you lose your job because that club has been very successful with that culture."
Meanwhile, Gary Neville feels Mauricio Pochettino - not Nagelsmann - is the right man to take charge next on a permanent basis at Stamford Bridge.
"Based on what Boehly has said, Chelsea have done their spending for the next three years - apart from signing a centre forward," Neville told Sky Sports.
"If they appoint Zidane, Luis Enrique or Diego Simeone, they're going to want to have another £300m as they won't like some of the players they've previously signed.
"They've got to appoint a manager who is going to inherit and like the squad that they've got. - a lot of them are young - and I think that man is Mauricio Pochettino."
European Football journalist Graham Hunter on Sky Sports News:
"Luis Enrique is an extremely driven man. I know first hand that his English is very good, he's been practising it and he absolutely desires to work in England.
"He won't go to any club where he doesn't think he has an outright chance of competing for big trophies. He won't go to any club where he's asked to go in a beauty parade of cultures, he will specifically want to know that the club inviting him to talk to them has absolute knowledge of his methods and will sign off on his total commitment to attacking football.
"If he doesn't feel the club that approaches him has all of those boxes ticked then he'll turn down any job.
"It will not be a question of salary but an absolute question that the club understands him and his principles, backs them and wants to hire him because they absolutely believe in his philosophy."
Saturday: Wolves (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
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
April 29: 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
