Luis Enrique was left 'disappointed' by Todd Boehly's decision to appoint Frank Lampard as caretaker manager at Chelsea until the end of the season. football.london reported earlier this month that Enrique was in London to hold talks with the Blues about becoming their new head coach.
Enrique emerged as a candidate to replace Graham Potter after the former Chelsea boss was sacked following a poor run of results after replacing Thomas Tuchel earlier in the season. The Blues' form has failed to improve after Lampard's appointment until the end of the current campaign, losing all three games under the club legend so far.
football.london understands that Julian Nagelsmann is a serious contender to replace Potter but that the German would prefer to wait until the summer to become the new manager. Reports claimed that the former Bayern Munich boss has also been given the chance to hold talks with the Blues over their vacant manger position but a decision will not be rushed despite results failing to improve under Lampard.
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Chelsea’s decision to hire Lampard on a temporary basis ‘disappointed’ Enrique, according to AS, who wanted the chance to take on Real Madrid in the Champions League. Under Lampard, the west Londoners suffered a 2-0 defeat to Champions League holders Madrid in their quarter-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu and now face an uphill battle to qualify for the semi-finals.
Enrique had two spells with Spain after spending three years at Barcelona, in which he won two La Liga titles and the Champions League. Despite Enrique’s frustration, the former Barca boss remains one of the frontrunners to be Potter’s long-term replacement as the Blues weigh up their options.
Cesar Azpilicueta has already given the green light for Enrique to take charge at Stamford Bridge admitting he played his best games for Spain under the former Barcelona manager. Speaking to Spanish outlet EFE, Azpilicueta said: "There are parts [of the club] who negotiate, that we trust with doing what is best for the club.
"We will see what happens. My best games with the national team were with him [Enrique] as coach."
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