Chelsea have held face-to-face discussions with Julian Nagelsmann for the first time, though their search for a new manager is expanding with two more candidates now added to their shortlist.
The London club sacked Graham Potter at the start of the month after just 31 games in charge and are now conducting a thorough search for a replacement.
Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, are leading the process and will vet and interview their candidates before submitting a recommendation to the club’s owners.
Nagelsmann is reported to be one of the frontrunners to land the job along with former Spain and Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique, who has already spoken to the duo.
According to The Times, Winstanley and Stewart have also held in-person discussions with Nagelsmann as they look and whittle down their search.
They met last Thursday to discuss his vision for the club and coaching philosophy, while the German was keen to get an understanding of Chelsea’s long-term plans and how much authority he would have if appointed for the role.
Chelsea are still continuing to explore other possible managerial targets, and no preferred option has yet been identified.
Interestingly, the club’s search has expanded recently as they explore every possible avenue, with Burnley boss Vincent Kompany also someone they would like to speak to.
The 37-year-old has secured promotion back to the Premier League with the club and is also wanted by Spurs, with many feeling he could have a similar impact at an established, top-four chasing team as Mikel Arteta has had at Arsenal.
Another even more left-field choice Chelsea will also vet and speak to is Palmeiras’ Portuguese manager Abel Ferreira.
The more established names on the club’s shortlist include Pochettino, Napoli manager Luciano Spaletti and Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim – who impressed when his team knocked Arsenal out of the UEFA Europa League.
