Johannesburg - Chelsea are on the hunt for their third manager in less than a year after the recent sacking of Graham Potter. They sacked Thomas Tuchel earlier in the season.
Frank Lampard has been appointed to lead the club on an interim basis until the end of the season. Bar a strong run of results, the Blues club legend will probably not be re-appointed to the position from which he was sacked two years ago.
If one thing is certain, the Blues should ideally go with a proven boss as their next appointment. They should not take a gamble again as they did with Lampard in his first stint and then with Potter.
Potter was appointed to be a project manager type of boss. He was not expected to win the league this season but at least help the club deliver strong results on a regular basis and be on the hunt for a top four finish. That did not happen as he left the club on the bottom half of the league standings and some 14 points adrift of the top four.
Former Brighton boss Potter was not solely responsible for the Blues woes this season but he was not a fit for the role and perhaps a hasty appointment by new club owner Todd Boehly.
When the likes of Juergen Klopp and Pep Guardiola were appointed by Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, they did not deliver instant results. It took Guardiola two seasons to win his first league title and Klopp, nearly five years.
However, what the duo did do which Potter did not offer was a clear plan of action for the future on how to develop their teams into eventual trophy winning material. Chelsea must make their next managerial appointment and get a candidate who can deliver a good plan on how to rebuild the club into one that is capable of winning silverware.
The current leading candidates for the club to succeed Potter are Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino. All three are proven, having won league titles in Germany, Spain and France respectively.
The club should go with the candidate that they feel will suit their vision at this point in time. The club will take time to rebuild and at this point in time, it is impossible to have a team in England that will dominate year after year. Arsenal are now genuine trophy contenders, in addition to Manchester City and Newcastle also look well on their way to becoming a major force to be reckoned with.
@eshlinv
IOL Sport
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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