Mauricio Pochettino has parted ways with Chelsea despite the club's strong finish to the Premier League season.
The 52-year-old Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked as the Chelsea manager despite overseeing a strong second half of the season for the Blues, who came through the pack to finish 6th ahead of Newcastle and Man United.
A Cole Palmer inspired turnaround after Christmas means the Blues will play in the Europa League next season, should the favourites Manchester City emerge victorious in Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will contest the Europa Conference League if Man United upset the odds and beat City, with Erik ten Hag’s side claiming a Europa League spot and leaving Newcastle without a European spot.
Betfred
- Huge range of regular promotions
- 24/7 live chat service
- PickYourPunt builder for custom bets
Who is the favourite to be the next Chelsea manager?
Roberto De Zerbi is the favourite to replace Pochettino as Chelsea manager having left his position as Brighton manager at the end of the Premier League season.
De Zerbi's Brighton slipped to 11th on the final day of the Premier League season after losing 2-0 to Man United. That's a full five places worse than his first full season at the Amex when the Seagulls qualified for Europe for the first time in their history after finishing 6th.
Second in the betting is 42-year-old Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß, who has just led the club to the Champions League for the first time in 15 years by finishing second in the Bundesliga, one point ahead of Harry Kane's Bayern Munich.
Third in the betting is the early frontrunner for the Brighton job Kieran McKenna, who has led Ipswich back into the big time through back-to-back promotions from League One.
McKenna has slipped to second favourite in the race to succeed De Zerbi at the Amex behind surprise favourite Francesco Farioli, who assisted De Zerbi at both Benevento and Sassuolo before taking charge of Nice last summer.
The fourth likeliest outcome from the search replace Pochettino at Chelsea, according to the latest odds through oddschecker, is a return for the club's former manager Thomas Tuchel, who spent 18 months at Stamford Bridge before losing his job in September 2022.
Tuchel is also the favourite to replace ten Hag at Man United, having seen his odds slashed from 12/1 since the start of March (now 11/2 best price on bet365).
Rounding out the top five is the man who started this week as favourite to replace Pochettino, Hansi Flick, who has been out of work since leaving the German national team in September 2023 after an ill-fated two-year reign featuring wins in less than 50% of his matches.
However, he has much fonder memories of his last club job with Bayern Munich, where he won both Bundesliga titles and the 2019/20 Champions League. During his Bayern tenure, the club lost just seven games and won seven trophies.
Next Chelsea Manager Odds
| Next Chelsea Manager | Best Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Roberto De Zerbi | 5/2 | Paddy Power |
| Sebastian Hoeness | 6/1 | Paddy Power |
| Kieran McKenna | 7/1 | Paddy Power |
| Thomas Tuchel | 7/1 | Sky Bet |
| Hansi Flick | 10/1 | Paddy Power |
How to Claim £20 in Free Bets on Paddy Power
- Open a new account by CLICKING HERE and using the promo code ‘YSKARZ’
- Deposit a minimum of £5 using a debit card or Apple Pay
- Place a minimum £5 bet on any sports market with minimum odds of Evens
- Your £20 in free bets will be awarded after your qualifying bet has been settled
