Julian Nagelsmann 'leading race for Chelsea job after initial talks'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 20 April 2023

Former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann reportedly emerges as Chelsea's leading managerial target after impressing in their opening round of talks.

Former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann is supposedly at the head of the queue for the Chelsea job after a positive first round of talks.

Nagelsmann lost his job at the Allianz Arena only a couple of weeks before Graham Potter was given the boot by the Blues, and he unsurprisingly emerged as an early candidate to take over in the English capital.

The 35-year-old is not expected to come to a firm decision until the summer, when Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid could also try their luck alongside Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

The West London club have moved quickest to initiate contact with Nagelsmann, though, and he is understood to have recently met with directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

Nagelsmann was offered to present his ideas to the Chelsea chiefs, and according to The Guardian, the German left Winstanley and Stewart impressed during their discussions.

Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann on August 27, 2022 © Reuters

Co-owner Behdad Eghbali is said to have given the green light to Nagelsmann's appointment, but Chelsea are only at the start of their recruitment process and will not make a decision for a while.

Still, Nagelsmann is currently the leading candidate on Chelsea's shortlist for a new manager, which has been whittled down to a handful of coaches in the past few days.

As well as holding talks with Nagelsmann, Chelsea have spoken with Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim, but the 38-year-old is not seen as a strong contender to take over.

Contact has also been made with former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, but the report adds that the 52-year-old made a number of demands during the discussion, and Chelsea therefore have doubts about hiring him.

Furthermore, ex-PSG and Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino is still in the running, having been sounded out last year before Chelsea hired Potter to replace Thomas Tuchel.

Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann reacts on January 24, 2023 © Reuters

Nagelsmann made waves with Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before being hired by Bayern in 2021, leading the Bavarians to their 10th Bundesliga title in a row during his debut campaign.

The 35-year-old picked up 60 wins, 14 draws and 10 defeats from his 84 matches in charge of Bayern, who crashed out of the Champions League with a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Manchester City in the quarter-finals this week.

Chelsea, who re-hired Frank Lampard until the end of the season in the wake of Potter's sacking, also saw their European dreams crash and burn, losing 4-0 to Real Madrid over two legs.

Lampard has now overseen four straight losses since returning to Stamford Bridge, leading to speculation that the 44-year-old may not even see out his short-term contract.

However, Chelsea are not believed to have any plans to sack Lampard, who is currently preparing his 11th-placed side for their Premier League West London derby with Brentford next Wednesday.