Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea manager latest: Todd Boehly works wonders to clear Julian Nagelsmann obstacle and leave Tottenham desperate

Julian Nagelsmann

Chelsea have cleared a big hurdle in their pursuit of former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and are now one step closer to appointing him, according to a report.

Chelsea have been searching for a new manager since sacking Graham Potter on Sunday. The English coach was axed following Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, which left them 11th in the Premier League table and 12 points behind the top four.

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly is busy searching for Potter’s replacement, with the help of sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

There have been links with Roberto de Zerbi, who actually replaced Potter at Brighton. However, David Ornstein of The Athletic has revealed that De Zerbi is not on Chelsea’s shortlist.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the ‘favourite’ to take over at Chelsea is Nagelsmann. The Blues have held direct talks with Nagelsman, who has been a free agent since being released by Bayern on March 24. The two parties have discussed the club’s project and how Nagelsmann would fit into it.

One major problem for Chelsea has been convincing the German to become manager straight away. Multiple sources have revealed that he wants to take a few months out of the game. This would help him to reflect on his time at Bayern and prepare for his next coaching venture.

READ MORE: Chelsea ‘strongly’ consider making bid over £30m for defensive upgrade with 52-app star to be sacrificed

But according to Sky Sport Germany, senior Chelsea chiefs have managed to convince Nagelsmann to join immediately, rather than wait until the end of the campaign.

Due to this, they are now one big step closer to appointing him, in a move which will leave Tottenham disappointed.

Tottenham set to lose out in manager pursuit

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has identified Nagelsmann as a potential candidate for the Spurs head coach role, following Antonio Conte’s departure.

However, Nagelsmann seems to be more attracted to the Chelsea project than what Spurs can offer, which makes a Stamford Bridge move far more likely.

When looking at the league table on its own, it is hard to see why Nagelsmann would choose Chelsea over Spurs. While Chelsea are languishing in the bottom half, Spurs occupy fourth spot and could still make next season’s Champions League.

Despite this, there are several reasons why the 35-year-old is considering becoming Chelsea boss. The first is the money that would be at his disposal.

Under Boehly, Chelsea have shown they are willing to spend huge sums of money to make their squad one of the best in Europe. Nagelsmann could therefore demand Chelsea sign some hugely talented players for him.

In contrast, Spurs do not have that kind of money available. This means Levy might not be able to sign the calibre of players that Nagelsmann wants.

Nagelsmann also has to like the project in order to join a club. Perhaps he does not feel like Spurs are heading in the right direction.

Their talisman, Harry Kane, continues to be linked with an exit from the club. If he were to leave, then Spurs would lose at least 20-25 goals a season and Nagelsmann would find it even harder to help them challenge for trophies.

Whereas at Chelsea, there are plenty of young players who have the potential to develop into top-class stars. This includes Enzo Fernandez, Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke.

Nagelsmann is still yet to make a final decision on his return to management, but Chelsea are in pole position as things stand.

Meanwhile, Gary Neville has given his opinion on Chelsea’s manager hunt, naming an alternative to Nagelsmann who must be captured.