Chelsea's Next Manager: McKenna, Tuchel, De Zerbi Top Candidates to Replace Mauricio Pochettino

• Chelsea announced on Tuesday night that they have parted ways with manager, Mauricio Pochettino
• The Argentine manager left the club after guiding them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League
• Kieran McKenna, Thomas Tuchel, and Roberto De Zerbi have emerged as top candidates for the job

The search is on for Chelsea's next manager.

The Blues grabbed the headlines on Tuesday night when they announced that they had mutually agreed to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino.

Sports Brief looks at the top 5 candidates to replace the Argentine manager at Stamford Bridge.

Top candidates to replace Pochettino at Chelsea

1. Kieran McKenna

McKenna has emerged as the top candidate to replace Pochettino as Blues boss following the Argentine manager's exit.

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He inspired Ipswich Town's incredible promotion to the Premier League, leading his side to a second-place finish in the Championship this season.

He did it by implementing a slick, attacking style, with The Tractor Boys scoring 92 goals in the Championship this campaign.

It has been a remarkable rise for McKenna, who also oversaw Ipswich's unlikely promotion from League One a year ago, per The Guardian.

2. Thomas Tuchel

Based on their social media reactions, Chelsea fans want Tuchel to be their manager next season.

The German boss is available after Bayern Munich decided to part ways with him following a disastrous campaign.

The Bavarian giants failed to win a single trophy this season, with Bayern finishing third in the Bundesliga and crashing out in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Chelsea fans wouldn't mind having Tuchel back with the club, given his previous success at Stamford Bridge.

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He led the Blues to a Champions League title in 2021 and also won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup that same year.

3. Roberto De Zerbi

De Zerbi is another free-agent manager that the Blues may want to consider following Pochettino's departure.

He made waves in the Premier League while managing Brighton, leading the Seagulls to a top-seven finish in the 2022-23 season.

Brighton qualified for Europe for the first time in the club's history with that result, and they made themselves proud with their performances there this season.

They reached the Round of 16 of the Europa League after finishing top of their group, which included teams such as Marseille, Ajax, and AEK Athens.

4. Sebastian Hoeness

Hoeness' stock rose this past season after leading Stuttgart to an impressive showing in the Bundesliga. They finished second behind Bayer Leverkusen in the league table with 73 points.

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A manager whose team finishes above Bayern Munich in the league demands respect, and Chelsea should consider him to replace Pochettino.

5. Hansi Flick

If Chelsea wants a big name as their next manager, they may turn to Hansi Flick. He led Bayern Munich to a historic treble in the 2019-20 season before taking over as Germany's coach, per The Independent.

That stint didn't end well for Flick, who was sacked after a string of poor results in 2023. He recently rejected an offer from Bayern Munich to return as their coach.

Madueke reacts to Pochettino's departure

Sports Brief also recently reported on Noni Madueke's reaction to Pochettino's exit.

The Chelsea winger shared an image of himself with Poch on his Instagram stories.

Madueke also wrote a thank-you to his former Stamford Bridge boss in the caption.