Kieran McKenna is no longer in contention to become Chelsea’s next manager and Enzo Maresca wants to leave Leicester City to take over at Stamford Bridge, according to reports.
Ipswich Town boss McKenna has been strongly linked with the vacancies at the Blues, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion but is now only of interest to the Red Devils and the Seagulls, BBC Sport has said.
The outlet added that Chelsea have spoken to former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, Maresca and Brentford’s Thomas Frank as they seek a successor to Mauricio Pochettino, who left the club last week after a season in charge.
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Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has also reported that Chelsea will make a decision “soon” over Maresca, who guided Leicester to the Championship title after leaving his role as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City last summer.
Romano said Chelsea have not held talks with Sporting’s Ruben Amorim or Xavi, who was sacked by Barcelona on Saturday and is reportedly “open to opportunities”.
Former Tottenham and United youth coach McKenna has taken Ipswich from League One to the Premier League in two seasons and is expected to turn down any potential new contract offer from the Tractor Boys.
The 23/24 #PL Game Changer. 🥇👑 pic.twitter.com/HemwfuPjlw
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 26, 2024
Chelsea manager: De Zerbi, Frank, Amorim?
De Zerbi lifted Brighton to Uefa Europa League qualification in his first season in England but left the club by mutual consent in a surprise development at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Former Brondby coach Frank led Brentford to the Premier League for the first time in their history and has achieved midtable respectability with the relatively modest London club in each of the three seasons since their promotion.
Amorim has twice been a Portuguese champion since Sporting appointed him in 2020, finishing 10 points clear of Benfica at the top this season.
Chelsea are seeking their fourth manager of the two-year tenure of their current ownership group.
Former Southampton, Tottenham and Paris St-Germain manager Pochettino appeared to have found his groove at the end of an uneven season, taking Chelsea into a European spot with a run of five consecutive wins and a draw against Champions League-bound Aston Villa.
The Argentinian departed by mutual consent two days after Chelsea won at home to Bournemouth, finishing sixth.
