Hansi Flick has made a decision over filling the Chelsea vacancy (Image: Getty Images)
Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea announced their mutual separation on Tuesday night, despite the Blues’ successful conclusion to the 2023–24 campaign that secured their return to Europe.
Hansi Flick, the former manager of Bayern Munich, has no desire to succeed Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea.
On Tuesday night, Pochettino resigned from his position with Chelsea with mutual consent. A few days after the 52-year-old led the team to a thrilling victory over Bournemouth on the final day of the Premier League season, which secured European football, the decision was made public.
The impressive conclusion appeared to have made up for the turbulent first year under the former Tottenham manager. Chelsea advanced to the Carabao Cup final but lost to Liverpool. Then, they were destroyed by Manchester City, the reigning champions, in the FA Cup semifinals.
In his farewell press conference, Pochettino struggled to guarantee that he would be leading Chelsea the following season. He also refrained from participating in the Stamford Bridge lap of honor with the players and staff.
Thus, the search for a new Chelsea manager has begun once more, with a number of well-known candidates being mentioned, including Roberto De Zerbi, who recently left Brighton & Hove Albion, and Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel.
Flick, a former manager of Germany, was another name connected to the position. However, Sky Sports claims that the German is uninterested in the position. Instead, after one of the team’s worst domestic seasons in recent memory—finishing third in the Bundesliga—a possible return to Bayern Munich is still on the table as the team looks for a successor for Tuchel.
The 59-year-old is also mentioned as a strong candidate to lead Manchester United and Barcelona. Flick is reportedly waiting for the position with Barcelona, based on reports from Spain.
Xavi cut a frustrated figure during Barcelona’s draw in Bilbao ( Image: Getty Images)
The Spanish powerhouses are thinking of firing head coach Xavi, who has come under intense criticism during his ups and downs with the team and who had earlier declared he would be stepping down before changing his mind. Barcelona just secured a spot in the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in 2025 by finishing second in La Liga behind Real Madrid.
In the Champions League quarterfinals, however, Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain team eliminated them. Furthermore, even though an agreement to keep Xavi was made just a few weeks ago, the relationship between the legendary midfielder and the club’s hierarchy appears to be deteriorating.
It is said that Xavi’s future will be decided following Barcelona’s match against Sevilla on Sunday.
Since his dismissal as Germany’s manager following his team’s 4-1 loss to Japan in September, Flick has been unemployed. It was their fourth defeat in five contests.
After a stellar performance with Bayern, which included winning the 2019–20 Champions League and back-to-back Bundesliga titles, the miserable tenure began.
