Chelsea’s managerial shortlist includes exactly the type of candidates you would expect after their failed experiment with project coach Graham Potter.
Recently sacked ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann appears to be the frontrunner, while former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is flying to London for talks.
Mauricio Pochettino, who is out of work after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, and Ruben Amorim, the highly-rated Sporting Lisbon coach, are also said to be in the frame.
They are all names and proven winners, much more in keeping with the ethos of the club than Potter.
But one of the game’s most successful and well-known managers is not under consideration, despite being available and perfect for Chelsea, at least on a short-term basis.
Antonio Conte is a free agent after leaving Tottenham and should be in contention for a sensational return to Stamford Bridge, where he won the Premier League title and FA Cup in a two-year spell from 2016.
Chelsea have already assembled a squad which is ready-made for Conte’s 3-4-3 system, with a pair of elite wing-backs in Reece James and Ben Chilwell, a cast of ball-playing centre-halves and a group of hard working and technically-gifted midfielders in N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic. Up front, Joao Felix, Kai Havertz and Mykhailo Mudryk are perfect as wide forwards.
And hiring Conte would immediately plug the biggest hole in Chelsea’s squad, their lack of a top centre-forward and goalscorer, because the 53-year-old would welcome back Romelu Lukaku from his loan spell at Inter Milan and knows how to get the best from the £97.5million forward, who reached new levels under Conte with the Nerrazuri.
Conte has delivered success everywhere he has been as a coach, arguably even at Spurs considering they were outsiders for fourth-place when he was appointed last season, but the big question marks over his management are threefold: his record in the Champions League is poor; results and performances tend to go downhill when his teams have more than one game a week; and, most significantly, he is simply too demanding for most owners, eventually leading to the deterioration of his relationships at board-level.
At Chelsea, none of these problems would exist if Conte was appointed on a one-year deal for next season.
The Blues are unlikely to be in the Champions League or any European competition, leaving Conte with plenty of time on the training ground to whip his expensively-assembled squad into shape and focus on a run at the League title and domestic cups.
And he would find it nearly impossible to complain compellingly about investment under owners who have spent nearly £600million over the last two transfer windows and shown every willingness to continue to compete in the transfer market.
Conte fell out with Chelsea’s previous ownership spectacularly during his last spell in charge but this is a completely new Chelsea, with different owners and executives running both the football and business sides of the club. Nonetheless, he knows the club and remains respected by supporters.
Conte was desperate to get out of Spurs in the final months of his tenure but by the start of pre-season he should be refreshed and recovered from his recent ill-health.
He would have a backroom staff already living in London and likely to be available in the summer -- and a point to prove to Spurs and their chairman Daniel Levy, as well as his own reputation in England to restore.
Of course, Conte’s return to Chelsea is never going to happen, not least because Todd Boehly wants a manager who can build a dynasty and develop players over the long-term future, which would not suit the Italian.
But, again, Chelsea are unlikely to be in Europe next season and, given their vast spending, any new manager is likely going to have to challenge for the title to be considered a success.
With the club as it is, Conte is about the surest bet around to propel the Blues straight back into contention for domestic honours next season, so why not consider him as a short-term fix and look for a longer-term manager in the summer of 2024?
