Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino
Josh Lawless
Chelsea have reportedly dropped candidates to settle on a four-man managerial shortlist which includes a "mystery coach".
The Blues parted company with Mauricio Pochettino after just one season at Stamford Bridge, with the decision announced on Tuesday night.
In a topsy-turvy, inconsistent campaign, Pochettino guided Chelsea to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League after a strong end to the season.
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But the club are now looking for another manager under Todd Boehly's ownership.
A slew of names have been linked with the vacancy but a new report from The Telegraph claims that it has been whittled down to four.
Sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart are leading the search but an update suggests they are hopeful of appointing a new manager before June rolls around.
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Sebastian Hoeness and Michel of Stuttgart and Girona were previously in the conversation but are now understood to have been removed from the shortlist.
Enzo Maresca, Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank are still well in the frame, while there is also another candidate who is not yet known.
The aforementioned trio all have plenty of admirers within the Chelsea hierarchy and it's said all would be willing to take job despite the recent predicament at Stamford Bridge.
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Maresca has links to Chelsea as he worked with head of recruitment Joe Shields at City, where he also coached Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia in his time as Under 23's boss.
He has just guided Leicester City back into the Premier League with a stunning title-winning season in the Championship.
The former Parma boss is believed to have an £8.5 million release clause in his contract.
The club want a manager who places emphasis on attractive football but at the time of writing there is not yet a clear favourite for the position.
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Pochettino, who has been tipped to manage in the Saudi Pro League, issued a brief statement on his departure.
He said: “Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and Sporting Directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club's history. The club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come.”