Vesper

Todd Boehly was Poch IN, but Behdad Eghbali was Poch OUT, and we know who won — report The real power https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2024/5/22/24162143/todd-boehly-was-poch-in-but-behdad-eghbali-was-poch-out-and-we-know-who-won-report There’s been a power shift at the top of the Chelsea hierarchy, one that’s been going on slowly and steadily for well over a year. If it wasn’t obvious by now — and judging by some of the wider media reporting, it hasn’t been — it now very clearly should be. The true power at Chelsea, at BlueCo, rests with Behdad Eghbali and, by extension, Clearlake Capital: i.e. the money. Boehly was the public face, and to most and in some respect, has remained the public face. He’s got the gift of gab; he’s not afraid of the spotlight. And he is the Chairman as well — at least for the next few years still. But football decisions have been largely handled by the co-sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart since their appointments back in 2023, while the final say in anything and everything appears to be Eghbali’s. RELATED Boehly happy to remain face of New Chelsea, even if real power lies elsewhere — report For some hard evidence, we don’t need to look any further than the decision to part with Mauricio Pochettino. According to ESPN, “Boehly was keen on retaining Pochettino but Eghbali wanted to replace him with a new coach”. Boehly, making the recent sports business conference rounds, has been talking up progress under Pochettino of late, espousing the ownership group’s patience and vision, and claiming that all we wanted was some stability going forward to keep building on this momentum. Oops. Pochettino confirmed after Sunday’s match that he had dinner with Boehly on Friday, but (reportedly) The Toddster wasn’t even present this week (at least physically) as the rest of the small council kindly ushered Pochettino out the door. Chaos and Trophies, but still without the trophies then.

better have a buyback clause

Chelsea owners could lose faith from players in unique dressing room disaster https://Chelsea.news/2024/05/Chelsea-owners-could-lose-faith-from-players-in-unique-dressing-room-disaster/ Chelsea have sacked Mauricio Pochettino, a move that has shocked a lot of people despite the hints in the last few weeks that it could be coming as the uncertainty about his future grew. The surprise comes from the fact that the Blues were doing well at last in the league, and Pochettino’s departure comes just as he completed the best run of league results we’ve had under the new ownership. More than in some past sackings, where the coach’s departure has seemed to come in part (or almost entirely) because they’ve lost the dressing room, this is quite the opposite situation. The players loved Pochettino, and made that really clear whenever he was under pressure. He’s known for his ability to connect with players, and that was essential this year as the pressure rose. Plenty of other coaches would have cracked, but he was able to keep things pretty steady. In the end, it didn’t help him. A potential new issue developing All of this means we could see an interesting and unique situation develop where the players start to lose faith in the ownership because of their decisions. Some of these guys have only been here for two years and have seen 3 of their coaches sacked. What on earth must they think of the owners and sporting directors who are picking these guys and then sacking them? Have we ever seen ownership (rather than management) lose the dressing room? It’s not like the players can do much given the contracts they’re on, but it creates a nightmare for morale. The reaction to the news has already started reaching their social media, and we expect plenty more in the days to come. The first reactions are coming out on social media, with players thanking Pochettino. Of course they’d do this with any manager, but just from listening to them this season you can tell they really mean it this time.

‘WAITING FOR BARCELONA’ – Hansi Flick Chelsea REJECTED IN BID FOR NEW MANAGER https://getfootballnewsspain.com/waiting-for-barcelona-Chelsea-rejected-in-bid-for-new-manager/ Premier League giants Chelsea have today been dealt something of a blow in their pursuit of a new manager. This comes amid confirmation that one of the Blues’ leading targets to replace the departing Mauricio Pochettino has knocked back the advances of the club. The tactician in question? Hansi Flick. As per a report from Mundo Deportivo, the former Bayern Munich and Germany headmaster responded with a form ‘no’ upon being contacted by the Stamford Bridge brass. Why? He is waiting for Barcelona. The situation on the bench in Barcelona is of course considered to be completely up in the air with a view to next season. As much comes with Joan Laporta and co. giving fresh consideration to parting ways with Xavi, just weeks on from confirming the Spaniard’s continuation beyond the summer. Flick, for his part, has long been named as a leading contender to take up the reins in Catalunya’s capital, held in high regard by several leading members of the Blaugrana board. In turn, he is ready to reject any and all other projects, in the hopes of at last being afforded his ‘dream’ job at the Camp Nou.

Paul Merson offers furious Mauricio Pochettino verdict after Chelsea's 'madness' Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent just a year into his spell as manager, prompting outrage from supporters and pundits following a strong end to the season https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mauricio-pochettino-Chelsea-paul-merson-32863390 Chelsea’s decision to part company with Mauricio Pochettino is “madness”, according to Paul Merson, who has slammed the club for their shortsightedness. The Blues announced on Tuesday evening that they had let Pochettino go by mutual agreement after a year. The move came two days after Chelsea had secured sixth place in the Premier League by winning a fifth match in a row. Pochettino met with sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley and co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali in an end-of-season review process. He expressed his desire to be more involved in transfers going forward, but the club’s hierarchy were unwilling to budge and therefore decided to end his tenure a year early. Stewart and Winstanley have drawn up a shortlist of eight potential replacements, which contains Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Leicester’s Enzo Maresca, but Merson is convinced they have made a dreadful mistake. “I cannot believe he's gone,” he said on Sky Sports News. “Whoever's making this decision: how are you going to replace him? He’d just got the team going and got into Europe. He got them into sixth in the league. It's madness. I cannot believe what I'm hearing.” Chelsea have now dispensed with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Pochettino – as well as interim appointments Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard – since Clearlake Capital took over in May 2022. Boehly and Eghbali have developed a reputation for being trigger happy, having seen little return on the £1billion they have spent on players over the past two years. Pochettino had endured a difficult season in which Chelsea were mired in mid-table and suffered defeat against an injury-hit Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final in February. But he had turned things around impressively in the final month, winning five straight matches to secure European football with a young squad – an achievement that former Chelsea player Gus Poyet felt had earned him more time. “My initial reaction was I know nothing about football. Nothing surprises me now,” he said on Sky. “The best moments of Pochettino were the last two months. We were expecting a great summer and the start of something important. But we don't know [what is going on] inside [the club]. I was shocked. “I remember Pochettino saying, ‘I'm at Chelsea I need to win’ - but he had a group of players totally different to the type of players you need to win. If you want to win the Premier League with that Chelsea team, most of them are young… I would like the message from the top. What does the manager need to do next season?” Chelsea are now understood to be seeking a young forward-thinking manager who will take the role of head coach, rather than a more traditional one who has influence on other matters. Cole Palmer was among the first Chelsea players to pay tribute to the departing Pochettino, writing on Instagram: "Gaffer, thank you for everything you have done for me & making my dreams come true. All the best."

Chelsea owner who never wanted Pochettino came “armed with data” to prove 2 failings of the coach https://Chelsea.news/2024/05/Chelsea-owner-who-never-wanted-pochettino-came-armed-with-data-to-prove-2-failings-of-the-coach/ Ben Jacobs is as well connected as they come at Chelsea, and we were expecting some really juicy information from him on the events at Chelsea tonight. Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked, and information about the surprising move is coming from all over. Jacob’s angle focuses on how the ownership side came to this decision. It was already previously reported that Behdad Eghbali, one of the “co-controlling owners” was not a fan of the Pochettino appointment in the first place. Reports were that he was “never fully convinced” by the decision to bring the former Spurs boss in. Given that, he was never going to go easy on Pochettino, and it sounds like he led the charge on the club side to part ways. Jacobs reports that “especially” Eghbali “came armed with data” to the end of season meetings with Pochettino. A lot of the data this season was good and pointed towards the improvement we finally saw in the last two months, but they apparently focused on the team’s struggles with missing big chances, and at set pieces. Big issues – but with more than one father Both of those seem a little harsh, given the context. Pochettino was given basically one striker to work with, and he was as raw as they come. Nicolas Jackson missed a lot of chances, but he was improving as time went by. On set pieces, while we would expect more from the team, there was also clearly a squad building issue. The players that Pochettino was expected to play every week included a lot of small players, or those simply not good in the air. Certainly we would think the coach wouldn’t have taken kindly to those two failings being put squarely at his door rather than at the door of the sporting directors who built the team.

bottom line NONE of us really have a clue atm Bo-Clownlake are crazy unpredictable

Probably can add Oliver Glasner from Palace Andoni Iraola from Bournemouth Gary O'Neil from Wolves

well, these are the 5 most likely then, IF that is where we are hunting Martin is Scottish, BUT, lol, he was born in Brighton, eeeeeek

Plus we all can have fun with Eszett ß 😆

Next Chelsea manager odds (Betfair) Roberto De Zerbi 9/4 Sebastian Hoeness 6/1 Thomas Tuchel 7/1 Enzo Maresca 9/1 Kieran McKenna 9/1 Hansi Flick 10/1 Michel Sanchez 10/1 Jose Mourinho 14/1 Xavi Hernandez 14/1 Julian Nagelsmann 16/1 Ruben Amorim 18/1 Antonio Conte 20/1 Simone Inzaghi 20/1 Unai Emery 20/1 Zinedine Zidane 20/1 Andoni Iraola 25/1 Luis Enrique 25/1 Brendan Rodgers 25/1 Diego Simeone 25/1 Eddie Howe 25/1 Carlo Ancelotti 40/1 Frank Lampard 40/1 Graham Potter 50/1 Erik ten Hag 50/1 John Terry 66/1

Thomas Tuchel has spoken to Chelsea and wants to return to Stamford Bridge https://metro.co.uk/2024/05/21/thomas-tuchel-spoken-Chelsea-wants-return-20884356/ Thomas Tuchel is keen to return to Chelsea less than two years after leaving and feels he still has unfinished business at Stamford Bridge, according to reports. The west London club announced on Tuesday evening that they had parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino by mutual consent and have now begun the search for a new manager. A host of names are already in the frame to succeed Pochettino, from ex-Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi to Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna. But it could be a familiar face that takes over the reins, with Sky Sport Germany reporting that Tuchel is a ‘very concrete’ option. The 50-year-old was the first major casualty of Clearlake Capital’s ownership of Chelsea and was sacked on the 100th day of their reign, back in September 2022. Tuchel had clashed with the club’s owners during a tumultuous period of upheaval, but had won three trophies – including the Champions League – in the 20 months before that. He has had a difficult time at Bayern Munich, with the side only finishing third in the Bundesliga, and announced earlier this year he would leave the club at the end of the season. Bayern did make a last-minute attempt to convince Tuchel to stay, with his agent, Olaf Meinking, meeting with the club’s hierarchy last week. However, Tuchel confirmed that no agreement was found and Saturday’s 4-2 defeat to Hoffenheim was his final game: ‘There were talks, but we didn’t reach an agreement, so the decision of February still stands.’ Tuchel, who has also been linked with the Manchester United job should Erik ten Hag be sacked, is keen to return to the Premier League and Sky Sport Germany say he would welcome a return to west London. They even claim ‘relaxed discussions’ have taken place in the past few days, before a decision on Pochettino’s future had even been confirmed. Tuchel feels his task at Chelsea is ‘unfulfilled’ and can imagine himself returning to the club, though the Blues’ hierarchy may decide to go down a different route. Chelsea are thought to favour a young, progressive coach who plays attacking, possession-based football and that has seen them linked most heavily with Ipswich’s McKenna. Other names in the frame are Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness – who actually pipped Bayern and Tuchel to second place in the Bundesliga – as well as Girona’s Michel and Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca.

it would be an upgrade for sure

agree, it seems like a self-inflicted wound atm

Thiago Motta set for showdown talks with Bologna after meeting Juventus https://football-italia.net/thiago-motta-showdown-talks-bologna-juventus/

this all is the price we are paying for Christoph Freund turning us down for top of the pyramid full control Sporting Director

I can live with that

Cesc has never been a full on manager (caretaker for 5 games with Como in Serie B) he is an assistant at Como (granted Como just got promoted to Serie A)

the big strike against Amorin is that he pretty much ONLY plays 5 at the back

in a few years, yes

so with Amorin and Hansi ruled out here is a re-post a big list of options (and some I am not ok with, many are no chance atm) 1. keep Poch then (in no order) Zinedine Zidane (pipe dream, never will happen) Carlo Ancelotti (pipe dream) Nagelsmann (will not come atm) Xabi Alonso (will not come here atm) Lionel Scaloni (he will not leave the Argies atm) Zlatko Dalić (will not come here atm) Diego Simeone (hard AF pull) Simone Inzaghi (hard AF pull) Xavi (will not come here atm) Didier Deschamps (will not come here atm) Joachim Löw (hard AF pull) Thiago Motta Sérgio Conceição Kasper Hjulmand Abel Ferreira Edin Terzic Unai Emery Tuchel Luis Enrique Massimiliano Allegri Sebastian Hoeneß Roger Schmidt Peter Bosz Roberto De Zerbi Gian Piero Gasperini Michel Stefano Pioli Marco Rose Éric Roy Franck Haise Adi Hütter

@FabrizioRomano · 17m Chelsea are looking for dynamic manager, several candidates are being discussed internally with owners and directors involved. Thomas Frank among names mentioned internally; also Kieran McKenna but still all open. Seb Hoeneß, highly rated but fully focused on Stuttgart.