Mauricio Pochettino is at growing risk of being sacked at Chelsea, with Blues co-owner Todd Boehly reportedly ready to greenlight a move for Roberto De Zerbi.
Pochettino’s future as Chelsea boss was previously bolstered by the FA Cup win over Leicester City, which saw the West London side reach the last four, as well as the dramatic late victory over Manchester United on April 4.
Against Man Utd, Cole Palmer inspired Pochettino’s side to a 4-3 victory, despite Chelsea being 3-2 down deep into stoppage time.
Pochettino will have been hoping that his team could build on that memorable win, but they remain extremely unreliable.
Chelsea have since drawn with struggling Sheffield United and thrashed Everton 6-0 in the Premier League.
Their hopes of winning a trophy were ended on Saturday as Manchester City knocked them out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 semi-final victory.
Chelsea’s woes in front of goal continued as they missed a host of good chances, with Nicolas Jackson particularly awful in front of goal.
As per Italian reporter Rudy Galetti, Pochettino’s job is once again under threat. It is increasingly unlikely that he will remain in charge for next season, with Boehly and Chelsea eyeing up De Zerbi as their ‘preferred’ replacement.
Chelsea eye Roberto De Zerbi as next manager
De Zerbi has leapfrogged several other candidates and is now the frontrunner to manage at Stamford Bridge. Sources have previously confirmed to TEAMtalk that Chelsea contacted Ruben Amorim, but he did not feel their project was stable enough.
In a major boost for Chelsea, Galetti adds that De Zerbi is open to starting a new ‘experience’ away from Brighton. He considers Chelsea a ‘good option’, too.
Although, Chelsea must quickly make a final decision on whether they want to stick with Pochettino or bring in a new manager. That is because Bayern Munich are also pursuing De Zerbi.
The Bundesliga giants have identified De Zerbi as a top target following Julian Nagelsmann’s decision to extend his contract with the German national team.
Of course, Chelsea landing De Zerbi would see history repeat itself, as they previously raided Brighton for Graham Potter.
But Boehly will be hoping that the Italian does better than Potter, as the latter was axed by Chelsea after less than seven months in charge.
