Chelsea identify two-man shortlist to replace Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea have prepared a two-man shortlist to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who is very much at the risk of getting fired.

The Blues drew 2-2 with West London rivals Brentford at the G-tech Community Stadium on Saturday as pressure on Mauricio Pochettino increased. The Chelsea head coach appears to have lost the majority of the fans’ trust following a hugely disappointing Premier League campaign—and another episode of dropped points at the weekend saw their discontent grow.

The Pensioners are now 19 points adrift of fourth-place Aston Villa and six points off West Ham United in seventh. Yet, Pochettino remains popular with the squad and insists he has the support of co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali for now. The club are unlikely to be rash with their decision making but pressure is mounting and the atmosphere within the fanbase is threatening to become toxic.

With that being said, Chelsea have reportedly identified Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi as potential replacements for Pochettino, with doubts over whether the Argentinean tactician will be in charge next season.

Ruben Amorim, Roberto de Zerbi on Chelsea’s shortlist

Sacking Pochettino might appease disgruntled Chelsea fans but then where would that leave the club? Key figures within the hierarchy are still in support of Pochettino, who has not lost a youthful dressing room and has had to deal with a raft of injuries to important players all campaign. The club are resolute not to make any hasty decisions as they want to avoid a repeat of the miserable end to the 2022/23 campaign when they fired Graham Potter in April and finished the season in 12th place.

However, there is a feeling that Pochettino will be gone at the end of the season and the Blues have already started preparing a succession plan. Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim and Brighton and Hove Albion’s Roberto de Zerbi have been considered as his potential replacements.

Amorim has hugely impressed the Chelsea hierarchy with his fine work at Sporting CP, who currently sit at the summit of the Portuguese league ahead of arch-rivals Benfica and FC Porto. On the other hand, De Zerbi has received plenty of plaudits for his style of play and development of youth at Brighton since replacing Graham Potter in 2022.

Apart from Chelsea, Amorim and De Zerbi have both attracted interest from several top European clubs. Liverpool are looking at Amorim, while De Zerbi is of interest to Manchester United should they sack Erik ten Hag at the end of the season. However, both coaches will be expensive as they have substantial buyout clauses in their contracts.

Pochettino’s position at Stamford Bridge is likely to be reviewed at the end of the season and failure to qualify for Europe will leave him in a precarious situation. Should the Blues sack the Argentinean, it will be interesting to see who they pick from Amorim and De Zerbi to succeed him.