A SHOCK name has reportedly been included on Chelsea’s shortlist to become their new manager.
Mauricio Pochettino appears to be the frontrunner to take over at the Blues from the axed Graham Potter.
That was after Julian Nagelsmann pulled out of the race for the job following a series of talks with the club.
Poch has been out of work since he was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.
Chelsea contacted him over the job and now several reports are claiming that he has boosted his chances of landing the gig after “a series of positive talks” between him and the West London club.
Vincent Kompany, who has led Burnley to instant promotion back to the Premier League, is the other man on Chelsea’s three-man shortlist.
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And now The Guardian have revealed the identity of the mystery third candidate – and it is Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian, 57, looks set to win a second consecutive Scottish Premiership title and has impressed with his attacking style of play.
The Hoops are currently 12 points clear of Rangers and have also won consecutive League Cups since his arrival in 2021.
He also has experience of the Champions League after guiding Celtic into the competition this season, although they were eliminated at the group stage.
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Postecoglou, who managed Australia at the World Cup in 2018, has also worked in his homeland, Greece and Japan but has not managed in any of Europe’s big leagues.
He remains an outsider at the moment with Pochettino still firmly in the driving seat.
Chelsea are also believed to have considered Feyernoord’s Arne Slot.
Pochettino is one of Tottenham’s most successful and popular managers in recent history – despite failing to win a trophy with the club.
He averaged 1.89 points per game – the most for any Tottenham boss in Premier League history with a minimum of 38 Premier League games in charge.
The ex-Southampton chief capped off his five-year stint at White Hart Lane by leading Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.
But he was sacked just months later following a poor start to the 2019-20 campaign before eventually taking over at PSG in January 2021, winning the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 prior to his departure.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
