Ex-Barcelona boss traveling to London to hold further talks with Chelsea: Reports

Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is reportedly traveling to London to hold discussions with the Chelsea board about becoming the club’s next manager. The 11th-placed Premier League side are looking for a permanent manager after dismissing Graham Potter on April 2, just over six months after appointing him.

According to the Independent, Enrique impressed Chelsea in the initial discussions, convincing them that his intense high-pressing strategy would work well with the club’s young guns. The manager, who won the treble with Barcelona in the 2014-15 season, is now on his way to west London to have a face-to-face meeting with the hierarchy. Enrique’s former Barcelona teammate Ivan De La Pena, who is now an agent, is accompanying him on his journey.

The Blues have previously been linked with the former Spain coach, but his salary demands and lack of fluency in English reportedly put the club off. The coach has since worked on his English and it is believed that the club’s board is sold on his footballing philosophy.

While Spanish outlets are hopeful of seeing Enrique take charge of the Premier League giants, Chelsea themselves are yet to land on a concrete decision.

According to multiple reports, Julian Nagelsmann, Luciano Spalletti, and Mauricio Pochettino are also in the running to become Graham Potter’s successor. However, Enrique has a considerable edge in the race, as he is the only coach on the shortlist who has won the Champions League.

Enrique, who has been without a job since resigning as Spain’s manager after their Round-of-16 exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was at Barcelona for three seasons. Between 2014 and 2017, he managed Barcelona 181 times, averaging 2.41 points per game. Champions League aside, Enrique won two La Liga titles and three Copa del Rey trophies at Barcelona, amongst other honors.

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Paul Merson urges Chelsea to appoint Brendan Rodgers as next manager

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has backed Chelsea to appoint former Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers as their next coach.

Merson argued that Rodgers had every quality to succeed at Stamford Bridge, claiming that he played attacking football, had the experience of managing big clubs, and had won trophies. Merson acknowledged that Rodgers getting the sack at Leicester City following their poor run of form might make fans skeptical, but claimed that the ex-Liverpool manager deserved a fair shot.

“Rodgers ticks every box; he plays on the front foot, he started his coaching career at Chelsea and knows the club. But the timing of the Chelsea job coming up this time hasn’t worked in his favour, with him getting the sack at Leicester four hours before Potter was relieved of his duties,” Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column.

“Fans will question why they should turn to a manager who has just been sacked by Leicester, but if you look at the all-round picture, Rodgers is a good manager who has worked at top clubs like Liverpool and Celtic, won trophies at Leicester and put them on the brink of Champions League qualification. I just think Rodgers is the one.”

Rodgers oversaw a horrendous run at Leicester City in the 2022-23 season, watching on hopelessly as the Foxes slipped to 19th place in the Premier League rankings.

Before Leicester, however, Rodgers enjoyed an excellent spell at Celtic, averaging 2.24 points over 169 games between 2016 and 2019. He helped them to seven trophies in that period, including two Scottish Championships.