Chelsea already plan for life after Mourinho, new manager to be officially unveiled next week

Sky Sports reports that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge was discussed in a board-level meeting with owner Roman Abramovich, following the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City. The Blues suffered their ninth defeat of the season on Monday and slumped down to the 16th position in League table.

According to Sky Sports, no decision has yet been made about the future of Mourinho at the club, but the football media is rife with a plenty of rumours linking many managers to succeed Mourinho.

Daily Mail reports that Chelsea, along with Man City and Man Utd, are interested in securing the services of Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola in the summer. The Spaniard only has six months left on his contract with the Germans.

Guardiola is expected to announce his future plans next week. He revealed following the Bayern’s 1-0 win over Darmstadt on Tuesday; “Tonight, I have no answer. Next week there will be clarity.” Daily Mail understands that he will announce his plan to step down as Bayern manager in the summer.
The Telegraph reports that Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Diego Simeone are Premier League Champions’ primary targets, but none of these options would be available before the summer. In that case, the Blues might opt for Southampton’s Dutch tactician Ronald Koeman. Koeman has done considerably well since his arrival at St Mary’s Stadium. He also has the experience of managing clubs like Ajax and Valencia in past.

Another option suggested by the Telegraph is Sevilla manager Unai Emery. The Spaniard has won two Europa League titles during his time with the La Liga club. He has also managed another La Liga club Valencia in past.

Chelsea might also opt to appoint a caretaker manager till the end of the season, when a more suitable option would become available.

The club followed the similar route when they appointed Dutch manager Guus Hiddink in February 2009. The Dutchman has already iterated his desire to return to Stamford Bridge in a part-time role.

Chelsea sit just one point above the relegation zone, and anything other than a win in their next league game against Sunderland could mean serious repercussions for Mourinho.