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Chelsea make huge Luis Enrique managerial decision as further Nagelsmann & Pochettino talks planned

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(Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

Chelsea have made their next decision during the process of selecting their next permanent head coach, according to reports.

After sacking Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership are searching for their third head coach, with the process being led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart this time around.

Contact has been made with several candidates, including Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique who have both held positive in-person talks with Chelsea over becoming the next boss this summer ahead of the 2023/24 season.

However, Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph has now revealed Enrique has not been placed ‘among the leading candidates’ for the job, with the club now starting to cut down their shortlist.

It’s reported that no further talks are planned with the Spaniard, who left his role with Spain after the World Cup in Qatar.

He is now ‘rated as an outsider’, along with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim. Meanwhile, more talks are expected with Nagelsmann after face-to-face talks were held in Germany last week.

Former Spurs and PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino has also now been contacted, according to the report, and he is set to be spoken to again, along with other candidates, as the Blues whittle down and advance their search for Potter’s successor.

Nagelsmann has impressed but the club insist no favourite has yet emerged.

Whoever does win the race to become the next Chelsea head coach has a big job on their hands. A squad overhaul is required to begin the journey of getting the club back to where it is so used to: the top.

They won’t play Champions League football next season after a disastrous season, which has been heavily criticised by defender Thiago Silva who told the owners to end the period of indecision and come up with a stronger strategy after an influx of new arrivals.

Silva said: “I think the first step has been made, an incorrect step, but it has been made. We can’t be blaming the managers if we don’t take responsibility. It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.

“Change of ownership, new players arriving – we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad.

“A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad but on the other hand there are always players that are going to be unhappy. There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something – that’s tough.

“Some can’t make the squad, we signed eight in January, we need to stop and put a strategy in place otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes.”

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