Next Chelsea Manager Odds: Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter, Zinedine Zidane early contenders

Chelsea have sacked Thomas Tuchel after 20 months in charge.

The manager who led the Blues to Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup glory - plus three domestic cup finals - has been axed on Wednesday morning following a stuttering start to the season which has included defeats to Leeds, Saints, and most recently to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The decision comes on the 100th day under Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boehly, who has stated that the club will move swiftly to appoint a new head coach, with an interim coaching staff overseeing the first team in the meantime.

Below, we take a closer look at the early contenders to replace Tuchel in the next Chelsea manager odds…

One of the first names that instantly springs to mind is Maurico Pochettino. He has the profile, the Premier League experience, and is available for hire having left PSG in the summer.

During his time at Spurs, Pochettino implemented an intense, high-tempo, aggressive style of play which catapulted the club to the Champions League final, while they challenged for the Premier League title and frequently finished in the top-4. The Argentine would go on to lead PSG where he won three trophies, including Ligue 1, but was unable to bring European glory back to Paris.

Graham Potter is someone we’ve recently become accustomed to seeing listed in contention for the top jobs due to the stellar work he’s done at Brighton, who are 4th in the table after winning four of their opening six matches, including wins at Man Utd and West Ham, plus a 5-2 rout of Leicester last weekend. This is despite the high-profile departures of some of his best players, such as Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma. His ability to adapt and evolve has been super impressive.

Brighton have been a breath of fresh air since the former Östersund and Swansea boss took over in 2019. He’s completely transformed the style of play, been praised for his flexibility, variety and game plans, while he's conjured up a number of superb wins over the top teams and managers. The Seagulls will obviously be desperate to keep hold of their exciting manager, but could face a real fight should Chelsea come calling.

Chelsea could seek to tempt Zinedine Zidane over to the Premier League for the first time. The Frenchman, who led Real Madrid to three straight Champions League successes, remains out-of-work since his second Los Blancos spell came to an end in May 2021. His experience and immense success at the top level, the respect he'd command, and his ability to juggle egos could make him an ideal fit at big-spending Chelsea, although he's widely expected to be waiting it out for the France job.

Diego Simeone has long been linked with a move to England, and Chelsea. In charge of Atletico Madrid for over a decade, the fiery Argentine has brought the club unprecedented success but has yet to be lured away from his beloved club. At 25/1 he could well attract attention.

Other managers to keep an eye on in the market include former Premier League winner Roberto Mancini who won Italy the Euros last year, Celtic's Ange Postecoglou, ex-Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, as well as Juventus manager Max Allegri. Former Marseille boss Jorge Sampaoli is available, while it will be interesting to see what happens next with Brendan Rodgers - who coached at Chelsea - as he could be set to leave Leicester.