Enzo Maresca and Kieran McKenna are among the candidates to be the next Chelsea manager but it will not be Thomas Tuchel, talkSPORT understands.
Champions League winner Tuchel is keen to be back in the Premier League and would entertain a return to Stamford Bridge, but that sentiment is not shared by the Blues hierarchy.
He won the Champions League with the Blues back in 2021 and led them to two FA Cup finals, but was sacked by Todd Boehly and co in September 2022.
This season, the German oversaw Bayern Munich‘s third place finish in the Bundesliga, ending their run of 11 consecutive league triumphs, and they failed to win a trophy.
It was announced in February that the 50-year-old would leave Bayern with a year left on his contract.
Chelsea want to recruit a younger coach, and have no interest in Tuchel despite his availability.
On Wednesday, Maresca emerged as a leading contender for the job, having guided Leicester to promotion from the Championship.
The Blues also admire Ipswich boss McKenna, who also won promotion to the Premier League last season, but talkSPORT understands Brighton are the front-runners for his signature, with the Seagulls looking for a replacement for now-departed boss Roberto De Zerbi.
De Zerbi had two years left on his deal on the south coast but shocked fans by deciding to cut his time there short, with the club announcing his decision one the eve of the end of the season.
Chelsea’s Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have historic interest in the Italian.
However, the Blues would still have to pay Brighton compensation to bring him on board even though he left at the end of the season.
The Seagulls previously received in excess of £21million in compensation from the Blues when they lured Graham Potter and his staff away from the AMEX in 2022.
Blues chiefs Boehly and Eghbali also admire Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, although the latter is keen to stay in Germany after leading his side to finish second in the Bundesliga this season.
Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim is on their list too, but is unlikely to be interested in a move to Stamford Bridge having rejected their advances last summer.
Sources close to him say he is unlikely to want the job. Brentford’s Thomas Frank also fits Chelsea’s criteria.
The Blues confirmed Pochettino had left the club by mutual consent in a shock announcement on Tuesday evening.
Terminating Pochettino’s deal a year early will cost Chelsea around £3m and the players are saddened by his exit following a tense two-day performance review with Boehly and Eghbali.
Pochettino wanted an extension to his contract and a greater say in recruitment, both of which Boehly and Egbhali were reluctant to agree to.
Pochettino is now eyeing a move to Manchester United, talkSPORT understands, with doubts over Erik ten Hag’s future.