- Chelsea seeking new manager after parting company with Mauricio Pochettino
- De Zerbi is the fourth name on their shortlist as they continued manager search
- Chelsea are ‘baffling’… Mauricio Pochettino has NOT failed – where do the Blues go from here? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! Podcast
Roberto De Zerbi is the fourth name on Chelsea‘s shortlist to succeed Mauricio Pochettino alongside Kieran McKenna, Enzo Maresca and Thomas Frank.
Mail Sport can confirm that the former Brighton boss, 44, is in the running alongside the other candidates as Chelsea close in on their next head coach.
The shortlist has been drawn up with a desire for a dynamic, forward-thinking and progressive coach who fits in with the club’s ideology.
It also places stock in experience in English football, with Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Girona’s Michel having fallen out of the running. Xavi, who left Barcelona this week, is not being considered either.
De Zerbi is no longer with Brighton after leaving by mutual consent. However, if Chelsea were to snap him up, they would still have to pay compensation to the Seagulls.
Former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is on Chelsea’s shortlist for their new manager
The Blues waved goodbye to boss Mauricio Pochettino following the end of the season
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna (left) and Brentford’s Thomas Frank (right) are also been considered for the vacant Chelsea job
Leicester’s promotion-winning coach Enzo Maresca is another candidate for the vacancy
That is believed to be in the region of £5million. Brighton made sure to include that as part of their agreement as insurance in case another club swooped for their manager, who had a contract which would have run until 2026.
De Zerbi, meanwhile, did not receive any pay-off from that departure.
There is not yet any indication over who is favourite for the Chelsea job, though the club want to name Pochettino’s successor for the start of June.
One poll conducted on social media after MailOnline’s reveal asked fans to vote for who they wanted to become Chelsea’s next manager.
De Zerbi received 77.4 per cent of the 9,000 votes, followed by Maresca’s 10.5 per cent, McKenna’s eight per cent, and Frank’s 4.1 per cent.
De Zerbi bid farewell to Brighton on the season’s final day as speculation surrounded him and a move to Bayern Munich, who have opted for Vincent Kompany of Burnley instead.
De Zerbi spent two seasons in the Premier League with Brighton, taking them into Europe for the first time in their history.
The 44-year-old met with owner-chairman Tony Bloom for end-of-season talks in which it became clear that their ‘visions’ did not match.
His attractive brand of possession-based football would fit Chelsea’s brief.
