Chelsea FC is considering a managerial change next season. Current Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi is one of the candidates.
Chelsea lost 0-1 in extra time to Liverpool FC in the final of the Carabao Cup 2023-2024 season at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on June 26 at 0:00 p.m. ET.
Both teams battled hard in the first and second halves. Chelsea pushed Liverpool in the second half. Raheem Sterling, Conor Gallagher, and many others had scoring chances but couldn’t capitalize, sending the game into extra time. Two minutes before the end of extra time, Chelsea were denied by Virgil van Dijk, who scored the winning goal and the Blues fell to a 0-1 defeat.
Chelsea missed their first, and possibly last, chance to win the title this season. The title is already out of reach in the Premier League. Chelsea is in 11th place in the Premier League with 35 points from 10 wins, 5 draws, and 10 losses. In the FA Cup, they’ve made it to the round of 16, but with Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Newcastle United all still alive, they’re unlikely to win it.
Chelsea owner Todd Boeli’s patience seems to have run out after failing to win the Carabao Cup, their last real hope. He’s already thinking about replacing the manager. Mauricio Pochettino even refused to shake hands with Boleyn after the final, a gesture that suggests he doesn’t care.
European soccer transfer market expert Nicolo Scilla said after the game that “Chelsea are keeping an eye on Brighton boss De Jervy as their manager for next season.” If Chelsea were to change their manager ahead of next season, it would be their fourth manager in two years. And once again, they’re eyeing the Brighton boss.
De Zerbi is a former Italian soccer player and manager. As a player, he played as an attacking midfielder or flanker and scored a lot of goals as a second-choice player thanks to his excellent left-footed kicking ability. In 2010, he left Serie A to join Romanian club Cluj, before returning to Italy in 2013 to retire with Trento.
De Jervi joined Brighton in the 2022-23 season to succeed Graham Potter as manager. On his Premier League debut against Liverpool, the former league runners-up impressed in a draw against a team that hadn’t had much time to train, as they held their own against the league runners-up. Since then, De Jong has overseen Brighton’s rise up the table.
Last season under De Jervy, the Seagulls finished sixth in the league and qualified directly for the UEFA Europa League. This season, the Seagulls have continued to perform well. They are in seventh place in the Premier League with 39 points from 10 wins, nine draws, and seven losses. Recently, De Jervy has been attracting a lot of interest from big clubs.
Barcelona, in particular, are making a strong ‘love call’ for De Gea. The reason is the resignation of Xavi Hernandez. On June 28, Xavi announced, “As of June 30, I will no longer be 토토 Barcelona coach. I think things need to change and as a Barcelona fan, I can”t stand idly by. There needs to be a change,” he announced his resignation.
Liverpool are also keeping an eye on De Jong. “Jurgen Klopp has announced his decision after speaking to the owner about his desire to leave the managerial position in the summer,” the club said on its official website. The English publication The Athletic reported that De Jong is being touted as Liverpool’s next manager.
Chelsea have also entered the race. In fact, Chelsea were in the running for the Brighton boss last season. The Blues sacked Thomas Tuchel, who had a falling out with owner Boeli, and appointed Graham Potter, who had done well at Brighton. However, the move proved to be a failure. Porter was ousted from Chelsea after just half a year.
Fans are eagerly awaiting to see if Chelsea will take on a new challenge by sacking the Brighton manager or give Pochettino another chance.