If Chelsea need a new man in the dugout, they could give one Champions League-winning manager some thought.
The Blues are still led by Mauricio Pochettino, who appears to be under less pressure now.
After the Premier League club defeated Leicester City 4-2 over the weekend in the FA Cup quarterfinals, the Argentine is leading the team back to Wembley.
After losing by a slim margin to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, this will be their second trip to Wembley this season.
Pochettino’s job is still not safe at Chelsea
But Pochettino’s job does not appear to be completely safe, with Chelsea still in the bottom half of the standings and him about to enter the last year of his contract at the end of the season.
Journalist Ben Jacobs claims that Chelsea are not holding discussions to replace Pochettino right now or in any other way.
But he did say to GiveMeSport that the Blues do want to have a long-term succession plan in place, and Hansi Flick, the former manager of Bayern Munich, is a part of it.
He said: “When we hear a lot of these names linked with Chelsea, it doesn’t mean they’re going behind Pochettino’s back and offering somebody a job, which would suggest that they’re done with him. It means that Chelsea are forging relationships, they’re tracking people, and they’re aware of who is out there in the market.
“So if they have to make a change, whether that’s this summer, or whether that’s in years to come, they have the right relationships, they have the right Intel, they have the right data, and the people that they might bring on board are well aware of the Chelsea project as well.
“That’s just smart. Within that context, Hansi Flick is one name that could come under consideration, and has been spoken about internally as part of normal succession planning. There are several others that Chelsea are discussing, but not in the sense of an emergency meeting to find a replacement for Pochettino, more in case they have to make a change and to ensure that there’s no managerial limbo, whilst at the same time hoping it can still work with Pochettino.”
Chelsea could make some big decision if they don’t qualify for Europe
This season, Pochettino’s youthful and inconsistent team has been a mystery, and their underwhelming performance in the league has increased the pressure on the coach.
The 52-year-old may be doomed if Chelsea are unable to qualify for Europe for the second straight season due to worries over Financial Fair Play.
Chelsea are rumored to be discussing the German as a possible replacement for Pochettino, despite the fact that Flick has apparently been studying Spanish because he is particularly interested in the soon-to-be-vacant Barcelona head coaching role.
