Chelsea's next manager: Vincent Kompany among 4 shortlisted to take charge at Stamford Bridge

Days after Chelsea's exit from Champions League 2022-23 at the hands of Real Madrid, reports have indicated that Vincent Kompany is a shock contender to take charge at Stamford Bridge, with the promotion-winning Burnley manager one of the four names on the Blues shortlist.

After meeting with Chelsea's co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart in London last Thursday, former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann is considered the front-runner for the position. 

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Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is the third person co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are considering for the Stamford Bridge managerial position, which may surprise Blues fans. 

Additionally, a fourth unnamed candidate is rumoured to be in the race to succeed Graham Potter as Chelsea's next permanent head coach, with reports earlier claiming that Luis Enrique is no longer among the leading candidate for the top job.

After two years managing Belgian outlet Anderlecht, Kompany has dazzled upon his return to English soil. Burnley has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis under Kompany's leadership after taking on a team bleeding from Premier League relegation. 

Burnley has amassed 92 points out of a possible 126 while playing high-octane football to secure automatic promotion back to the top division. 

Due to his success, the legendary Manchester City player also caught the attention of Spurs, who are now without a long-term leader in London after Antonio Conte was fired during the international break. However, if Kompany chose to join their London rivals, he would have a full in-tray. 

Chelsea will need to substantially cut their bloated roster to ensure compliance with FFP standards after a poor season that has seen the two-time Champions League winners all but fails to earn European participation next year. 

Given that the team, led by caretaker manager Frank Lampard, has long lacked a potent scoring threat, additional hiring may also be necessary. 

Only two goals separate Chelsea from Erling Haaland's record-tying individual performance in the Premier League this season. 

Any new head coach will face a challenging task if they want to return them to the Champions League, a competition they haven't missed in back-to-back seasons since 2002.

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While Nagelsmann attempted to recover from Bayern's firing last month, Kompany is riding a wave of success at Burnley.

In addition, Pochettino lost his job at PSG, where he had previously worked. PSG fired the former Tottenham manager in July of last year after a disastrous stint in the French capital.

Luis Enrique, a former manager of Barcelona, has reportedly spoken with Chelsea about taking Potter's place, however, it's thought the Spaniard is no longer possible. 

• Chelsea
• Premier League
• Football