The Blues' owners have had enough and sacked the Englishman after his team's latest upset and will now look for his successor
Graham Potter's reign as Chelsea manager has come to an end. Just over six months since he replaced Thomas Tuchel at the helm of the Premier League side, the ex-Brighton manager has been sacked.
The Stamford Bridge club decided enough was enough after they were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa on home soil, leaving them sitting 11th in the Premier League table.
Despite the January signings of the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix, the situation in west London did not improve under Potter.
In the end, his team won just 12 of the 31 matches they played since Chelsea forked over £21.5 million ($26.3m) to take him away from Brighton.
Now the club's board must begin their search for a replacement for the 47-year-old, but who are the candidates to step into the hot seat?
GOAL runs through the options…
(C)Getty imagesJulian Nagelsmann
Following his sacking from Bayern Munich, Julian Nagelsmann is a top candidate to step in to take over at Stamford Bridge.
The German manager was replaced by Thomas Tuchel at Bayern – the coach Potter succeeded at Chelsea in September.
Nagelsmann, 35, is still regarded as one of the most promising coaches in world football, having been a success at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before Bayern snapped him up in 2021.
Tottenham were recently linked with Nagelsmann after Antonio Conte's departure, but the Blues may attempt to beat their London rivals to him.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMauricio Pochettino
Inevitably among the first names linked with the job as soon as the pressure began to ramp up on Potter – just as was the case when Thomas Tuchel was sacked last year.
Pochettino has been out of work since his ill-fated spell at Paris Saint-Germain came to an end in the summer, and Chelsea would undoubtedly consider him for the job.
However, they will be wary of his underwhelming time in Paris and may well face stiff competition from his former club Tottenham now that they are hunting for Antonio Conte's replacement.
(C)Getty ImagesZinedine Zidane
Zidane has been playing hard to get ever since his second stint in charge of Real Madrid came to an end in 2021.
PSG, France and the United States have all apparently courted the three-time Champions League-winning coach, but he remains a free agent for now.
Zidane has hardly anything in common with Potter, so his appointment would represent a dramatic shift in direction by the Chelsea ownership. However, it is hard to argue with the results that Zizou has achieved in his managerial career so far, and he is used to managing big egos – of which there are plenty at Stamford Bridge.
Getty ImagesLuis Enrique
Having stepped down as Spain boss following their last-16 exit from the 2022 World Cup, it surely won't be long until Luis Enrique rebounds back into a top managerial job.
A committed footballing idealist, on paper he should be able to plot a path for Chelsea to follow over the next few years – though that's easier said than done due to the recent turnover of players.
The 52-year-old has not managed in the Premier League previously and has been out of the club game for some time now – two things that could go against him in any potential job interview.
Saying that, Boehly and Co. want entertaining football, which is something the Spaniard could provide.