Who should be Chelsea's next manager?

Summary

The Athletic FC Podcast — Who Should Be Chelsea's Next Manager?

Date: April 27, 2026
Host: Ayo Akimolere
Guests: James Horncastle (European Football Writer), Liam Toonmey (Chelsea Correspondent), Mark Carey (Data Writer, The Athletic)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Chelsea FC’s ongoing managerial search following the sacking of Liam Rosinha, with Callum McFarlane installed as interim boss and the club facing persistent questions about its direction. The panel evaluates the club’s leadership structure, squad dynamics, the aftermath of recent coaching failures, and the strengths, drawbacks, and fit of leading managerial candidates—from the Premier League and beyond, including former Chelsea legends and top European names.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chelsea’s Season in Context and the State of the Club

• Chelsea have sacked manager Liam Rosinha but still reached the FA Cup final under interim Callum McFarlane, with Enzo Fernandez’s goal providing a bright spot in an otherwise turbulent campaign.
• The chronic instability at managerial level is a symptom, not a cause, of deeper institutional dysfunction: leadership structure, recruitment strategy, and lack of long-term vision (04:28).
• Despite recent trophies (Conference League, Club World Cup), Chelsea's potential is underrealized—talent is plentiful, but the environment is not maximizing it (02:36, Liam Toonmey).

Memorable Quote:

"The way the club is run amid all this dysfunction, they are not maximising that talent." — Liam Toonmey (04:12)

2. The Importance of Infrastructure, Support, and Pitching the Project

• The next manager must be given the right environment, resources, and authority to implement their style (06:30).
• Concerns raised about whether coaches are pitched to by Chelsea or if they must sell themselves to the club—with Chelsea's diminished European pull, attracting top managers could be harder (07:30).
• Uncertainty about European qualification complicates the search. The “Champions League every season” expectation is fundamental to Chelsea's financial model and ambition (08:37).

Memorable Quote:

"They will have to pitch to that manager more than that manager will have to pitch to them." — Liam Toonmey (07:30)

3. Player Power, Squad Culture, and Enzo Fernandez

• The influence of player power has shifted, now focusing on belief in the coach’s plan rather than being run by “national team captains and international superstars” (27:33).
• Enzo Fernandez, despite controversies (disciplinary issues, interest in Real Madrid), remains central—he was signed as a flagship player, and Chelsea’s “Plan A” is to build around him (10:32).

Notable Segment:

• Enzo Fernandez’s resurgence and Lampard comparisons:
  "He's watched videos of Frank Lampard and his late arrivals into the box... Since Fernandez has been moved up the pitch for Chelsea, that’s become a real weapon." — James Horncastle (10:32)

4. Managerial Candidates — Strengths, Styles, and Suitability

A. Premier League Hot Names

• Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)

  • Recognized for improving players and imposing an aggressive, pressing style.
  • Concerns about scalability: Is his disruptive, “chaotic” approach suitable for an elite club expected to dominate possession? (17:45, Mark Carey)
  • Needs time to implement methods—a luxury Chelsea rarely afford.
  • Lacks media experience and would have to adjust to big-club demands (22:17, Liam Toonmey).

• Marco Silva (Fulham) & Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace)

  • Silva: Pragmatic, tactically flexible, focuses on maximizing player strengths; less dogmatic than others.
  • Glasner: Defensive solidity, tactical flexibility, proven with both back three and back four systems. Some concern about working relationships with upper management (25:06, Mark Carey).

B. Glamour Picks & Former Players

• Cesc Fabregas (Como)

  • A fan favorite—44% in the podcast’s YouTube poll chose him.
  • Shown tactical acumen, charisma, and the ability to develop unfancied players at Como.
  • However, Chelsea can’t offer him the unified, empowered structure he enjoys in Italy.

  "There is no doubt to me that one day he will coach one of the best clubs in Spain—be that Barcelona, one of the best clubs in England. But... Cesc can take the best possible decision for him." — Liam Toonmey (34:26)

• Felipe Luiz (Flamengo)

  • Has managed under enormous pressure in Brazil, demonstrated charisma and strong communication skills.
  • Could benefit from more European experience before being truly ready for Chelsea.

C. Continental Elite

• Xabi Alonso

  • Praised for possession-based tactical sophistication at Leverkusen; Real Madrid stint less successful due to club politics, not tactical ability.
  • Likely to be coveted by multiple European giants; Chelsea’s uncertain “project” may not appeal (38:43, Mark Carey).

• Simone Inzaghi

  • Two Champions League finals in three years, successful stints at Inter and Lazio despite challenging circumstances.
  • Well accustomed to high pressure and instability—could be a solid, authoritative option (44:47, Liam Toonmey).

Personality and Authority

• Importance of charisma, player credibility, and willingness of club hierarchy to tolerate strong personalities highlighted as critical for success (27:33, James Horncastle).
• Consensus: Top managers are often demanding, high-maintenance, but worth the trade-off if results follow (29:00).

Notable Quote:

"You need to be prepared as a sporting leadership... to deal with someone who's got a bit more status, who has a bit more authority." — James Horncastle (43:16)

5. The Need for Gravitas and Experience

• Skepticism about "learning on the job"—Chelsea can’t afford for both players and coach to be inexperienced simultaneously. Suggestion that someone with proven pedigree is needed to anchor the club’s ambitious young squad (41:41, James Horncastle).

“It's very difficult to have everyone in the building learning on the job at once. When you're talking about players, coaches, executives, and then asking them all to build the best winning culture in football...” — James Horncastle (41:49)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "The way the club is run amid all this dysfunction, they are not maximising that talent." — Liam Toonmey (04:12)
• "They will have to pitch to that manager more than that manager will have to pitch to them..." — Liam Toonmey (07:30)
• "Helps getting fans onside from the start... all the other coaches have been either starting at zero or in some cases negative equity with fans. Fabregas would not have that problem." – James Horncastle (36:15)
• "It's a nonsense, this. You need Premier League experience in order to be a success in the Premier League." — Liam Toonmey (22:17)
• "You need to have the opportunity within a club to give them the voice that their achievements within the game deserve. Otherwise... they're not going to have the kind of effect that you want them to have." — James Horncastle (43:16)
• "It's very difficult to have everyone in the building learning on the job at once..." — James Horncastle (41:49) — [picked as ‘quote of the day’ by the panel]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:36 — Enzo Fernandez FA Cup heroics, club dysfunction dissection
• 06:30 — Infrastructure and support for new manager
• 08:37 — Chelsea’s European prospects and challenges for next manager
• 10:32 — Enzo Fernandez’s role and contract situation
• 17:45 — Detailed evaluation of Andoni Iraola
• 22:17 — Premier League experience debated; managerial credibility
• 25:06 — Glasner vs. Silva: tactical styles and suitability
• 27:33 — Player power’s evolution and importance of personality
• 33:38 — Fan poll: Fabregas as a popular candidate; analysis of former players
• 38:43 — Xabi Alonso’s candidacy assessed
• 41:41 — Debate: proven winner vs. project manager for Chelsea
• 44:47 — Simone Inzaghi as a serious, experienced contender

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with a consensus that Chelsea’s next appointment must be less about hype or Premier League experience and more about structural support, readiness to embrace a demanding club environment, and a track record of handling complex squads, media scrutiny, and internal politics. There’s no perfect candidate, but those with personality, tactical pedigree, and gravitas—whether elite coaches like Simone Inzaghi or rising stars such as Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas—must be considered, while the club’s hierarchy must also look inward and commit to supporting any new manager with patience, authority, and a coherent vision.

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Transcript

[Ayo Akimolere]

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[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

The Athletic FC welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me, IO Akimolere. Last week Chelsea sacked Liam Racinha but still reach the FA cup final. The big question though, who should be Chelsea's next permanent manager? And with us today, we have James Horncastle. We've also got our Chelsea correspondent Liam Toonmey as well.

[Ayo Akimolere]

And they're flooding forward, the blue shirts, Enzo Fernandes.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Well, Enzo Fernandez there with the only goal at Wembley to beat Leeds United. James, I guess there's a tale here that perhaps the hierarchy feels sort of vindicated in sacking Liam Rossinha. But I don't know. We've mentioned it several times on this podcast. It's not just Liam Racino who might be the problem at Chelsea. There's probably a lot more to deal with than just the head coach or the manager.

[Liam Toonmey]

Yeah, let's not forget in the statement, the briefing notes that Chelsea Put out. We're still in a period of reflection over how they've handled this season. The decision that they claimed was forced upon them to move on from Enzo Maresca and then Rosenheim, who they had high hopes for. It didn't work out. I think a lot of people at the time thought that regardless of how Rosinha handled himself in the media, it was a job that came too soon, that he should have been allowed to stay at Strasbourg and develop. And, you know, I think for Chelsea, this is a team, group of players rather that have won trophies, you know, already last year, let's not forget they won a couple of trophies. They won the Conference League, they won the Club World Cup. They are world champions and that's how everyone calls them. So the idea that they would get to an FA cup final, it should not be a surprise. Even if Callum McFarlane is once again in interim charge this season. This is the very minimum of what that ownership that you said may feel vindicated. It's the very minimum of what they should be targeting this season and doing this season. I think, look, it's satisfying. McFarlane said afterwards that they broke the momentum and that mattered. But, you know, I think Chelsea's hierarchy still have to kind of take a long, hard look at themselves. And even if they win the FA cup, it would serve to reinforce this idea that they've got enough talent to win things. But the way the club is run amid all this dysfunction, they are not maximising that talent.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Well, Liam James just mentioned, you know, it's time for a bit of learning, especially from the hierarchy. But considering the run Chelsea were on in the Premier League, this must be a quite a nice bit of good news that they're actually in to a final level cup competition.

[James Horncastle]

Yeah, well, Enzo Fernandez's goal was good news, never mind the win, because Chelsea's attack had completely fallen apart really in recent weeks. I think the fans that went to Wembley and of course the hierarchy represented again by Bedaddig Barley. Wembley probably turned up hoping to see a real reaction in the post Liam Rosinha era and they got one. It wasn't a great performance from Chelsea, but they did what they needed to do. They. They got ahead and then they kind of kept Leeds at arm's length. I think you'd say in a way that they haven't actually looked capable of doing in recent weeks. They haven't looked solid enough defensively to, to keep teams out and they did dig in. I think it reflected well on Callum McFarlane the way that they were prepared for the game and they're going to need to show that for the rest of the Premier League season and of course for that big FA cup final against Manchester City if they're going to salvage anything from this season.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

James, you spoke about this being a time for reflection in many respects. And on a previous podcast last week I was talking about Liam Rossini and you mentioned it in that perhaps he was trying to learn his job on the job in many respects. When it came to Chelsea, of course, he'd done some great work at Strasbourg. One of my biggest worries is that whoever does come into Chelsea is that that infrastructure also allows them to cook in the way they want to cook. And we'll talk about potential managerial appointments later on in this podcast, but that must be something to really look at in that are we able to give them the best help? Are we able to make sure they have the best players? Are we able to make sure they have the best infrastructure to operate at the level we expect them to?

[Liam Toonmey]

Yeah, we, we still await to see what learnings Chelsea make as a club from what's happened, particularly with the fallout from Maresca, the senior appointments. Because if the structure remains as it is, then the problems are going to remain. I mean, ultimately you need owners to get on and you have to be able to create an environment which appeals to coaches. Now, the Chelsea job will always appeal to coaches because you'd imagine they'll be highly paid. There's the opportunity to work with some world class players and so lots of people fall into temptation. Graham Potter fell into that temptation. If you fail at Chelsea, you will for the most part, particularly if you are coming in with a reputation, failure means you will get highly paid on the way out.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Money talks.

[Liam Toonmey]

Yeah, but I think for the kind of manager that it seems they might be considering, I think they will have to pitch to that manager more than that manager will have to pitch to them because they have to convince whoever they, they want to be coached that it is an environment in which that coach can fulfill his potential and can thrive in. I think there are a lot of questions from coaches about what they are walking into at Chelsea. And until they come up with some compelling answers that put people's minds at rest. You know, some of the, the best up and coming managers will have some reservations about putting themselves into that environment.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Yeah, part of that pitch, Liam, could be European football. You know, I just looked at it and Chelsea find themselves in quite an unusual, but I guess relatively positive situation. So if City end up winning the FA Cup, Six and seven place teams could still qualify for the Europa League, but also if Chelsea win the FA cup, of course they'll get that European place as well. Now, we've spoken about how perhaps Champions League is far beyond them this season, but I mean, they could still make Europe.

[James Horncastle]

They could, they could even still make the Champions League. If Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League. There is still a narrow path for Chelsea finishing sixth and somehow being monumentally bailed out. The Europa League's not. Nothing is certainly better financially and footballing wise for Chelsea than the Conference League was a year ago, but it is, it pales in comparison to what the Champions League does for Chelsea on and off the pitch. And there is no getting around the fact that with the, with the investment that Blucher puts into Chelsea, Champions League is the business model. Champions League, every single season is what they're looking for. So I think without it, you know, James mentioned coaches having reservations about Chelsea and the environment. They might also just have better options. That's a reality Chelsea have to accept as well because they won't be the only club in search of a coach this summer. And as we've seen in previous summers, there tends to be a fair bit of overlap in terms of the coaches that different top clubs are looking at at any one time. So I think this will be a little bit of a different coaching search from Chelsea to the ones before, in part because, as James mentioned, they may have to do a bit more proactive pitching as well as just waiting for people to come to them or trying to turn on the charm in interviews, but also because the club will be in a different place if, as it currently looks like, they will have missed out on Champions League football for the third time in four years of this ownership.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Okay, well, let's quickly talk about Enzo Fernandez before we move on, because Liam Rossinha banned him for two games last month after his public behavior, especially the moment where he alluded to his love of Madrid. Read into that as you want, Liam. Look, the chaos of Chelsea epitomized by the man who has caused so much unrest, I guess, in recent weeks. But he was the difference maker and hopefully a player they would love to hold onto.

[James Horncastle]

He was. It was exactly the type of goal that Enzo Fernandez become very, very good at scoring for Chelsea. And he actually spoken in interviews about how he's watched videos of Frank Lampard and his, his late arrivals into the box. And that's something that since Fernandez has been moved up the pitch for Chelsea has become a real weapon in his game and he scored some big, big goals for them, not least in the Conference League final last year against Real Betis. So yeah, he's a big, big player when he's on it. He hasn't necessarily always been the best presence, you might say, this season, and certainly doesn't seem to have been completely behind Rosinho or completely behind this project in the last couple of months. But ultimately, no matter what he wants to come out of this summer, whether it's a new contract at Chelsea, whether it's a move elsewhere, his best chance of getting what he wants is to finish this season strongly, maybe to end it with an FA cup winners medal and, you know, trying to get Chelsea to finish as high up the league as possible. One thing's for sure, and we've, you know, we've said this before, Chelsea did not buy Enzo Fernandez to sell him. You do not spend that much money on a player overpay in most people's eyes, in order to sell him three years later when he's in theory in his prime. So he was bought to be one of the flagship Bluco signings, one of the pillars of this team going forward, and I still think that would be Chelsea's Plan A. It's too early to say whether things will go a different way or not. Certainly the last few months have raised a bit of uncertainty, but it was a good time for Fernandez to remind people of the good things that he can do for this team.

[Ayo Akimolere]

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[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Well, Callum McFarlane will be the interim boss at Chelsea till the end of the season and the club's hierarchy have a big decision to make this summer. Well, let's get into the potential options then. We're joined by the Athletics Data writer Mark Carey. Mark, so good to have you with us. We have to start with Antoniola. I mean it sort of makes sense as he's recently announced that he will be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season. Could a guy like him be a good fit for Chelsea?

[Mark Carey]

I mean, yeah, of course he could given the quality that he's shown in the Premier League and before that he's definitely a manager who's known to improve players. We've seen that with the the clubs that a lot of these players have gone on to play for in psg, Real Madrid, Liverpool as well. I think the main question, which is maybe the question for some of the candidates on the shortlist for Chelsea is the. The question of their scalability, I suppose, of the. The manager that they are, especially those in the. In the Premier League. I'm sure we'll come on to the likes of Marco Silva, Oliver Glasner, where they are at the moment and how that then applies to an elite club. I mean, the guys have already spoken about the. The expectations of a club like Chelsea and you compare that with the greatest Bournemouth to Bournemouth, it's. It's a little bit different. So there's no doubt the Royal has had the success in previous clubs. I think it's worth noting as well that it took a bit of time for him to sort of instill his methods and for them to be understood by the players. That's been said by the players themselves. I know that Antoine Semeno said that. I think Dominic Solanki did as well because there's a lot of instructions out of possession as well as in possession. I think they were winless in their first nine league games. I think when. When came in and then it eventually clicked. But as we know from recent history that Chelsea don't necessarily afford that time to managers to allow that to click. So it's just maybe something to think about. But obviously that comes with the package of how he plays stylistically. And stylistically that is a very aggressive out of possession style in possession. Aggressive as well. But I think Chelsea do have the profile of players to be able to instill that. But again, another question mark for me would be that the way that Bournemouth like to play is chaotic, is disruptive. It's actually not necessarily needing to worry about being dominant in possession, but just the optics of a team like Chelsea, an elite side like Chelsea, would they be expected to be the protagonists in the game? They obviously would like to dominate possession. It's kind of. Even though I know that Chelsea aren't overly sort of set on style, it's more about substance. You still want to be kind of dominating the ball. So questions on that, as well as to whether Iriola's. Iriola can still instill the style that he wants to and do it in a way that's still kind of befitting of an elite side.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Mark makes a really good point, Liam. You know, we mentioned the learnings that the leadership and the ownership are taken from the Rossini appointment. But, you know, like any good manager, you might not hit the ground running. It might take some time for you to embed your mythology and your ideas onto this team. Is that something they maybe need to be a bit more flexible on the leadership and the ownership in the future for whoever comes into this spot.

[James Horncastle]

Well, I think they wanted to give Liam Rosinha time. The problem with that was there was no reason for fans to believe, arguably even players to believe, that things were going to get better with time with Liam Rosinha because he had an authority problem when he came in. He didn't have a track record as a high level coach. He didn't even have a track record as a high level player. And that made it difficult. And in addition to that, he was seen as very much a blue co hire. And I think if you add those three things together, it created a cocktail whereby as soon as results started to turn, the goodwill and the faith from fans, from players, from basically everybody would erode very, very quickly. And I think whether a coach is the right coach, quote unquote or not doesn't really matter beyond a certain point because you get to a point where their credibility is short and it feels just broken. And at that point you just need a change. I've seen that plenty of time covering Chelsea and it's happened to a lot of very, very good coaches as well as maybe not so good ones. That would be less of a problem, I think, for Iriola, because he doesn't have a Bluco past and he has a much more recent record of impressive success at Bournemouth. He would be an intriguing one. He's clearly the hot name in the Premier League right now and that's a good thing. It's also a thing that maybe might make you cautious because he certainly timed his free agency, shall we say, to perfection.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

You talk about hot names. James Graham Potter at one point was a hot name. Pochettino was a hot name and if you look at even Spurs, Thomas Frank was a relative hot name. And all three of those managers I've mentioned all have Premier League experience. But as we've seen of Chelsea, it's not necessarily about the Premier League experience, is it, for them to succeed?

[Liam Toonmey]

No, absolutely not. I mean, we've seen the makeup of the Premier League. I think more than half the coaches are foreign. They didn't have Premier League experience until they came here. A lot of them were immediate successes. Go back to Antonio Conte. Chelsea wins the title in his first year, when Pep was in his first year at Man City, when Klopp had been at Liverpool six months, when Mourinho was at Man United, Arnie Slot won the league in his first season. Coming from a league outside of Europe's Top five leagues. Glasner will probably go out as being the most successful coach in Palace's history if he wins the Conference League on top of winning the FA Cup. So I think it's a nonsense, this. You need Premier League experience in order to be a success in the Premier League. Coaches need the right environment. They need the right group of players. This is a really difficult decision for clubs to make, particularly in the top six or the elite tier of the Premier League. With regard to Iraola, yes, as Liam has said, hot name in the Premier League. He's a coach's coach, which is what Chelsea are looking for. Right. This has been one of the talks of the first half of the season in the Premier League. We don't want a manager, we want a coach. That was the case at Man United. It's the case at Chelsea with Maresca. But I don't think you can just be a coach at a club as big as Chelsea. You have to manage the media. You have to have credibility in front of the media and the fans, something that Liam Rosinha did not have. Andona Iraola is coming from Rayo Vallecano and he's coming from Bournemouth, where there is little or no media scrutiny. I think he would just prefer to be on the training ground every day, whiteboard out video analysis. Doesn't want to engage in the media in the way that a big club manager, I think, has to that engage with the media. The other thing, when they've played FA cup, when they've played Carabao, you've seen with Bournemouth, can they sustain that style of play over multiple competitions? What happens if you're throwing in European football into that as well? That's another thing that you have to consider as Chelsea, I don't necessarily see it as being the best fit possible. There are enough unknown out there to leave you thinking, do we need to go with a coach from outside the Premier League who has experience coaching at a club of equivalent size to Chelsea, who can perform across all these competitions and deliver success? I think they have to consider all of those things.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Let's talk about Oliver Glassner and also Marco Silva, as you mentioned, Mark, both managers looking to be available this summer. In terms of styles. Let's compare them and also get a sense as to whether or not you think they'd work under this infrastructure, if anyone can, at Chelsea.

[Mark Carey]

Yeah. I mean, all of James's and Liam's points are valid, especially what you were just saying there, James, in terms of it being so much more than tactics. Glasnaya he's obviously done so, so well at palace last season and with the circumstances that have happened this season with losing players as well, incredibly well this season. Tactically, he's embraced the, the 3, 4, 2, 1, that sort of aggressive setup with wing backs. They've got a really solid defensive base to work from, and 2 number tens who can burst forward at pace. I think it is worth noting as well that I think people think that he's quite wedded to that kind of wing back, back three system, but he is actually far more flexible than that. And I think he's spoken before about how the formations themselves can morph depending on the situation and the phase of play. And he's actually played quite a few times when he was a manager at Wolfsburg and at Eintracht Frankfurt with a back four system. So there's a bit more kind of pragmatism, flexibility than maybe people would think, given if you just looked at his time at Palace. But that kind of flexibility and pragmatism, with a bit more credit than people maybe think for Glasner, is probably even more the case for Marco Silva. I think across different clubs within the Premier League. Obviously with England, he's probably been even more adaptable. I think he's not necessarily known for an overly dogmatic style of play. Maybe, you know, we're talking about Andoni Arreola before that. I think that that's very clear in the way that he plays. Silva's maybe less so, but still very effective and looking to maximize the strengths of the, the players that he has at his disposal. I mean, he still does have overall overarching principles, as you'd imagine. He typically sets up in a 4, 2, 3, 1 system, which is befitting of, of most sort of elite clubs. And often it's about kind of wide rotations, wide combinations. He likes to get the ball into the channels and especially last season, a little bit less so this season. Likes to, to get the ball wide to cross, but again, kind of built on solid defensive foundations first and foremost. And can those ideas be bought into in the same way as it has in his previous clubs? Again, when you're thinking about a club

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

the size of Chelsea, both managers here, Oliver Glassner and Marco Silva, Liam, they've got big personalities and we've seen that. And back to what James was saying in terms of credibility with the media and also the fans also think about credibility with the players as well. We've seen how player power can affect coaches at Chelsea. Do you think they have the big Personalities to deal with that player power?

[James Horncastle]

Well, I think they've. They've shown, albeit in a slightly smaller stage, that they can convey charisma outwardly and to bring a group of players along with them. Now, I don't think player power at Chelsea looks the same as it did in the late 2000s, early 2000s, when you had this group of national team captains and international superstars that basically ran the dressing room. I think these days it's more a case of do the players believe in what you're asking them to do or not? Particularly when you're looking at playing, you know, maybe really high pressing style, really man for man all over the pitch. It only takes one or two players to not be 100% committed to that style for it all to collapse like a house of cards. I think that's more the issue. And when it comes to their personalities at a club and maybe how that chimes with the hierarchy, it's certainly true that they're with Glasner. There are some questions, I think you'd say, based on the way he's worked with people above him at previous clubs, and there have been flashpoints at palace as well. But I think also it's fair to point out that at Chelsea, maybe as part of this period of self reflection, maybe the ownership and the sporting leadership team have to be prepared to be comfortable being a bit more uncomfortable not getting someone purely on the basis of how collaborative or, you know, kind of easygoing they can be as a coach. Because, you know, I've covered plenty of really high level coaches at Chelsea, and the one thing that I think united a lot of them was that they can be quite demanding, high maintenance personalities. And you have to be prepared to deal with that if you're a top club, because they're often worth it. They often deliver the results on the pitch, even if they don't necessarily last very long. The coaches Chelsea have hired haven't lasted very long either. I think that's something that the club need to be mindful of when they're looking for their next coach as well. That personality is not necessarily a bad thing.

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[Ayo Akimolere]

You're listening to the Athletic FC podcast with Ayo Akimolere.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Now some options from a little further afield. The likes of Xabi Alonso, Felipe Luiz and also Cesc Fabregas. Now, ahead of recording, we asked our YouTube community who should be Chelsea's next manager. More than one and a half thousand people have voted and there's a clear winner. 44% of them have chosen Cesc Fabregas. James, we can't ignore what Fabregas is doing at Como currently at the time of recording, fifth in Serie A, beating the likes of Roma and Juve this season. With less of a budget than those teams, but also playing attractive football as well.

[Liam Toonmey]

Yeah, attractive, very cutting edge football. Cesc has got star quality. He would not be phased and he certainly isn't phased in Italy dealing with the media. I think he could carry a big club on his shoulders and handle everything that comes with that. One thing to say about Cesc is he has a lot at Como that he wouldn't find at Chelsea. What I mean by that is he has a club that has a very clear direction, a club that completely understands who it is and what's it about that empowers Cesc, gives him a say on things, includes him in things. Yeah, he's not just emotionally invested in that club, he's financially invested in it as well. They're all on the same page at Como and they don't have the budget of Juventus, Inter, at least in terms of the revenue they bring in. But they have spent very aggressively and they've spent very well in two years that they've been in Serie A. Highest net spend. Even though you have to take your hat off to Cesc. And the thing that impresses you most about him is the work that he's done with the players that are not the expensive signings. It's players that and no name players that he's reinvented, which really showcases Talent as a coach. There is no doubt to me that one day he will coach one of the best clubs in Spain. Be that Barcelona, one of the best clubs in England. But, you know, he was asked about Chelsea in a press conference before the weekend's game against Genoa 20 win away from home, and he was. I'm very chill about this. And, you know, Cesc has got himself in a position where he can be very chill about this, considering everything he's done as a player, the life he's built for himself and, you know, how he's establishing himself as a coach. You know, Cesc can take the best possible decision for him. I think that's one of the great things about some of the top managers, is that they put themselves in that position where it's their choice, it's not somebody else's.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Yeah, gotta say, living in Como versus living in the heart of London. I know which one I'm choosing anyway. Good names there, though. Liam Fabregas, Felipe Luiz. But also good names with a history with Chelsea as well. You know, when it comes to Bluco, how important is that? When you think about the. The appointment, understanding what this club represents, understanding what this club wants to achieve.

[James Horncastle]

Yeah, I don't know how high it is on the list of things that they're looking for. It hasn't traditionally been. And perhaps that's been an area where you think they've erred a little bit. I think it would help in terms of getting fans onside from the start with someone like Felipe Luis. I mean, he had one season at Chelsea, didn't make a huge amount of impact. I was super impressed with him. I was out at the Club World cup last summer. I covered Flamengo twice. I was super impressed with the job he did with that team, but also the way that he carried himself. He's got a lot of charisma, his English is excellent. And we can't forget just how big a club Flamengo are and just what a demanding fan base that is in South America. Just because he hasn't coached in Europe doesn't mean he's not used to pressure. I think all those things work in his favour. There were suggestions that Bluco were talking to him before Rosinha, but it was about Strasbourg rather than Chelsea. Maybe he could do with going to another European club and continuing his upward momentum before he's really in the inner circle of the conversation for one of these top jobs. Fabregas, for me, ticks all the boxes. I think, for a lot of the reasons that James mentioned he's got the style of play, he's got the kind of cachet of being a bright, young, progressive coach, but he's got the status in the game, the charisma to, as James says, you know, walk into a big club and not be phased by it, not be phased by being the face of it. And Chelsea fans love him. They still sing about him and I think that would be a massive bonus for him that other Blue co hires simply haven't had from the start. With the exception of, you know, Frank Lampard when he came in as an interim, all the other coaches have been either starting at zero or in some cases negative equity with fans. Fabregas would not have that problem. But we come back to he might have better options, including staying at Como. And this is where Chelsea are. There are a variety of names that are all intriguing in different ways, but there isn't necessarily an obvious right answer.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Let's talk about Xabi Alonso. Mark, clearly a great tactician, as we've seen, obviously didn't work out with a big club like Real Madrid. What about Chelsea? Is this the kind of profile of players that actually could work really well for a guy like him?

[Mark Carey]

I think so. I think when you look at the, the technical quality that Chelsea have in the squad, thinking about the more of their on ball ability. Absolutely. I think it's, it's clear the way that Alonso likes to play very possession, possession oriented, mainly based on kind of positional play, making sure that there's some sort of smart rotations there to find space, find the, the free man who's maybe making the sort of a third man run beyond the ball. But I think because of the age of Chelsea's squad, you can think on the one hand that they are young, they're very coachable, moldable, and Alonso can with enough time on the, the training pitch, which is albeit a luxury for, you know, when you're managing an elite side because you have so many games with the quality they already have in the squad, maybe with some additions that that could be something that Alonso would be able to mould in his image. I think it is worth noting that the success that he had at Bayer Leverkusen as well, it was kind of anchored by someone like Granit Xhaka who's kind of holding everything together and being the leader on the pitch as well. I don't think just having young coachable talent is maybe enough with the sort of the style that you'd like to play the way that he did play up Leverkusen is well established with that unbeaten league campaign with more of a. A 3, 4, 2, 1 with. With wing backs. But I think it is again worth noting that he was a bit more tactically flexible, tactically diverse when he went to. To Real Madrid with mixed success. I think it was more having to shoehorn in, as is often the case at Madrid, having to shoehorn in the. The best players, especially in attack. And he tried to. To sort of tweak things a little bit and ended up kind of reverting back to the way that he'd been done in previous years. But I think that was more of a political thing than. Than anything, which I think was the main reason that it didn't go so well at Real Madrid. It was more of a political thing for the players in the dressing room, not necessarily on the pitch and the boardroom again, managing up and down. So he'd be well acclimatized to then doing the same sort of thing at Chelsea. But actually thinking about whether this could feasibly happen, I can't necessarily see this one. But of course it makes sense why Alonso is on the shortlist for so many clubs in Europe, especially going into the summer, because he is who he is. Whether it's speaking about Cesc Fabregas as well, the player he's been, as well as the early signs of what he's shown as a coach, I don't think it'll be long before he gets a new role. But I just think, realistically, I don't think it would necessarily be at Chelsea.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Yeah, it's very interesting, this conversation, Liam, because, you know, we've gone through quite a fair few managers and if you think about the Rossini appointment, you're looking at more of a, I guess, a project manager in many respects, someone who's going to find himself under this structure. Is there an argument here that what this very young team need is someone with a bit more gravitas, perhaps someone who's well known across the board, someone, dare I say, who's won the big trophies. I know there's not that many of them left out there, but, you know, that kind of appointment to let them know, actually we mean business here. And you listen to me, because I've been here and I've done it.

[James Horncastle]

Yeah, it's very difficult to have everyone in the building learning on the job at once. When you're talking about players, coaches, executives,

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

it's a quote of the day. Yeah.

[James Horncastle]

And then asking them all to build the best winning culture in football, it doesn't seem Particularly realistic. This was part of the logic behind the Pochettino appointment that Chelsea made a couple of years ago. And I actually thought that was, on his arrival, kind of the most logical decision they'd made, because they had this young group of players. You hire a coach who, okay, he hadn't won the very biggest trophies, but getting to a Champions League final with Tottenham is pretty much on par, I think, with a lot of trophies and had a specific track record of developing young players and creating a culture through which players can grow. And it didn't properly work at Chelsea. I think no one was entirely blameless for that. But part of it was that Pochettino didn't find the environment to his liking. And I think by the end of it, Chelsea wanted him out. He wanted to be out as well. And so it wouldn't surprise me if, given where Chelsea are, they look back in that direction. Not at Pochettino, but as you say, as someone a bit more proven, a bit further along in their coaching career that players can look. Look at. Because don't forget these. These core players that Chelsea are building around are two, three years in, and that's why they're starting to look around and go, well, what actually. Where actually is this project going? And I think that was a big part of the credibility problem that Rosinha had, that was unfortunately completely out of his control, was that you. You're coming into a dressing room of players who feel like they're ready to compete for the Premier League, to compete for the Champions League, and then you bring in a coach who hasn't done any of that, and you're basically asking them to have faith that, trust me, this. This guy is really good. And that's just a tall order, I think, for players, given how short their careers are and how ambitious they are. So I think we're hearing noises already that Chelsea are talking about more proven quality in the squad. It wouldn't surprise me if they go for that with the coach as well. But that also comes back to something I said earlier, which is that you need to be prepared as a sporting leadership and an ownership to deal with someone who's got a bit more status, who has a bit more authority. You need. You need to have the opportunity within a club to give them the voice that their achievements within the game deserve. Otherwise, they're not going to want to stick around and they're not going to have the kind of effect that you want them to have.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

Yeah. Those words, status and authority, James, lead me to my final question. We've had a question in here from one of our viewers on YouTube saying, I haven't heard anyone mention Simeone Inzaghi. We need an experienced head and he's been in two Champions League finals in the last three seasons and won multiple trophies as well. I'm sure he'd be interested to take a top job in Europe again. And we know Chelsea and Italian managers have history. I mean, this is a good one, isn't it, James?

[Liam Toonmey]

I think he should be in contention. I think the job that Inzaghi did with Inter was one of the best we've seen in European football over the last six to eight years. I mean, even going back to when he was at Lazio, when, you know, unexpectedly got the job because Marcelo Bielsa just was like, nah, not getting on the plane from Argentina. And he made Lazio relevant again. You know, they started winning things in Covid before the break. It looked like they might even be able to win the league. And then with Inter, she mentioned this was a club that seemed to have an inferiority complex in Europe, which he lifted those two Champions League finals in, in three years. I mean, they gave a sense that could. They could have won, particularly the one in Istanbul against Man City when. When City were going for the treble. You know, look, when he said he was going to go and work abroad, I think people thought that abroad after Inter meant the Premier League. Instead, it's Al Hilal, a lot of money in Saudi Arabia. Simone is someone who is no stranger to London. You know, his son, who's now an agent, was at university here. I think he did have an ambition of coming to work here. You mentioned that history that Chelsea has with Italian coaches. You know, Italy is the nationality that has more different coaches. To have won the Premier League than any other, I think, would depend on how good Inzaghi's English is. You know, he will have to. You'd imagine he had been working on that whilst he's been in Saudi Arabia. But again, it will depend on the club. You could say that he's worked in slightly difficult circumstances at Lazio and at Inter. Yeah, Lazio were quite spendthrift. He made the most of that. Inter were going through an ownership change and he was able to navigate that. But those two clubs always had kind of strong figures within the club behind him. And I think that is something that is still uncertain at Chelsea, but absolutely any top job in Europe, Simone Nzaghi should be a candidate for it.

[Athletic FC Host (Ayo Akimolere)]

I'm sure there's some Chelsea fans out there saying, bring back Super Frank, but that's another podcast for another day. Let's leave it there. Gents. Liam, James and Mark, appreciate your time and also thank you guys for joining us too. We'll catch you soon.

[Ayo Akimolere]

You've been listening to the Athletic FC Podcast. The producers were Guy Clark, Mike Stavroo and Jay Beal, with editing by Paul Iliff and Nick Thompson. The executive producer is A.D. moorhead. To listen to other great athletic podcasts for free, including our dedicated club shows. Search for the Athletic Wherever you get your podcasts. You'll also find us on YouTube at the Athletic FC Podcast, so make sure you subscribe. The Athletic FC Podcast is an athletic media company production.

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