Chelsea are digging into the full impact of Julian Nagelsmann’s time at Bayern Munich in order to understand whether he could handle life at Stamford Bridge.
The 35-year-old German boss is one of the key names being looked at as the successor to Graham Potter, who lost his job as Chelsea manager on Sunday.
He’s widely considered to have one of the smartest football brains in the game – yet the way his Bayern reign ended means Chelsea executives want to explore exactly why he has been ditched for Thomas Tuchel, a man Chelsea axed in September.
Do Chelsea have any concerns over appointing Julian Nagelsmann?
Nagelsmann lost his job in Germany for a number of reasons but sources have indicated that one of the problems was that he never fully convinced senior members of the squad of his tactics and methods.
That is a big concern and one that needs to be looked into – as Chelsea have a dressing room full of big personalities and high-profile characters. Some struggled to fully get on board with Potter’s ideas and while Nagelsmann would demand more respect – given his status that already exists – it can not be ignored that Thiago Silva is three years older than him and others like Cesar Azpilicueta are not far behind.
Chelsea’s board will have to be fully convinced that the squad are on board with the appointment before they make it.
The decision to replace Tuchel with Potter will go down in history as one of the worst choices an elite English club has made in the modern era yet this time there is more confidence they will get the appointment right, as Todd Boehly has staff around him that can take the lead.
Two of Chelsea’s staff members already have good knowledge of Nagelsmann and how he works and their insight will be key. Co-sporting director Laurence Stewart had roles in the RB Leipzig scouting and recruitment department during Nagelsmann’s time there, while Technical Director Christopher Vivell also knows him from the RB model.
Who else could Chelsea look at to replace Graham Potter?
Potter is taking a break while he comes to terms with losing his Chelsea job just months into a five-year agreement, but will be helped by a £13million pay-off.
Other candidates to take over from him include Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique, who are both currently out of work.
The entire situation will also impact Tottenham, who have a vacancy in the hot seat after splitting with boss Antonio Conte. Their list of managers to target is similar to the one being drawn up by Chelsea – and they even reached out last week to discover whether Nagelsmann might be interested.
Interim boss Bruno Saltor is to take charge of Chelsea until their interview process is complete.
