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With the Premier League season now at an end, Chelsea fans will not be happy with the performance of their team in this season. Following their truly amazing Championship season, this season has not gone well for them. They lost nine matches altogether in the Premier League, while they drew seven more games.
When it comes to Chelsea, there seems to be a pattern developing with regards to the performance of managers. A good season is followed immediately by one where they perform poorly. Their last manager, Jose Mourinho, was able to help them win the Premier League Title in the 2014-15 season, before leading them in an abysmal performance in the next season.
Despite helping Chelsea to win the Title in the previous season, his performance was so dismal, that he was removed as the manager by the board. At one point the team had been facing possible relegation.
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While this season has not been as bad, Antonio Conte has come under a lot of criticism from the fans. The team's performances have failed to match up to standards the fans have come to expect. The frustration of the fans, along with the continuous disputes between the Chelsea board and the manager, has raised speculation Conte will not be around for another season.
As is the case when such rumours develop, several names have come up as possible replacements of the Chelsea Manager.
#5 Diego Simeone:
One of the only managers who can match Antonio Conte when it comes to antics at the touchline, Diego Simeone is considered to be one of the top managers in the world. Simeone is famous for his touchline hysterics, and the same has landed him in hot water several times. Simeone is in the middle of serving a four-match ban from the touchline after he insulted a match official. Due to this ban, he will not be able to attend Atletico Madrid's Europa League final match against Marseille.
The Argentine manager has been linked with a move to the Premier League on multiple occasions before this though the move never came about. Rumours have run rampant, about Simeone making a move to the Premier League this season. There remains a sense of doubt, as his style of play would not suit the Chelsea team. Simeone is known to favour a 4-4-2 formation, something he will struggle to get in Chelsea, who have more of a counter-attacking style.
In La Liga, he has proved his capabilities repeatedly, by not allowing Atletico to fall below the third position in the League Table since he took charge. He even managed to guide his team to the La Liga Title in one season, beating both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Simeone has talked about refusing to leave Atletico before this, but he seems to have achieved all he can there. An offer from the Premier League, to a top side like Chelsea, may be enough for him to go out searching for new challenges. Chelsea is not short of money, and they will look to secure a manager who is known for overcoming challenges, and Simeone fits that description perfectly.
The only obstacle that remains to his move to the Premier League is the two-year contract he has signed with Atletico, that keeps him with them till 2020.
#4 Brendan Rodgers:
Brendan Rodgers is certainly no stranger to the Premier League, having spent time there in charge of Swansea and Liverpool.
It was the performances of his Liverpool side which put him into the limelight for the first time. He helped his team come close to winning the Premier League title but the last three games of the season ensured that they ended up in the second position. It was one of the best performances by Liverpool since the inception of the Premier League.
Despite coming close in that one season, the disappointing results in the next seasons saw him released from the club. The experience of the Celtic's boss at the helm of a top Premier League club and the time he spent at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho, heading the youth team means that he will be no stranger to how things get done.
His familiarity with the spirit and the defensive style of play in Chelsea makes him a possible replacement for Conte, who has admitted that he has frustrations with the way the club works.
Rodgers has said that he won't leave Celtic this summer, but with interest reportedly being shown from Chelsea, there may yet be a chance that he joins them. The size of a club like Chelsea might yet play a part in his decision.
#3 Massimiliano Allegri:
A manager who is known for finding success wherever he has gone, Allegri is a definite top contender to replace Antonio Conte at Chelsea at the end of this season.
History might be set to repeat itself, as the last time Conte was replaced, it was from Juventus, and it was Allegri who succeeded him as Manager. After the success he had experienced at Milan, he improved his performances further in Juventus.
With three straight League Titles in Serie A, Juventus are set to win a fourth at the end of this season. He has also helped them to four Copa Italia cups as well and helped them to become the Runner-Ups in the Champion's League twice.
His incredible performances have made him a target for more than one team, with Arsenal looking to sign him after the departure of Arsene Wenger. Chelsea has to be ready for competition if they hope to sign the Turin manager.
Allegri has stated that he is looking to sign with a club who is ready to mount a Title Challenge.
Chelsea is one of the teams with a ready set of players to challenge for the Premier League Title and have won it twice in the last four years.
#2 Zinedine Zidane
The French football legend, Zinedine Zidane was the darling of Real Madrid fans only a year ago, after he helped them to get an incredible number of trophies. He helped them to win the Champion's League two years in a row and is set to try for a third time.
That along with the fact that he had helped them to win the La Liga, the European Supercup as well as the Club World Cup during his short time in charge of the club means he was loved by the fans.
Things have not gone his way in this season, with Real Madrid in the third position with two matches to go, and 18 points short of Barcelona. There have been rumours of him leaving the club at the end of the season, in which case there is a chance that Chelsea will be looking to snap him up.
Chelsea will look to use his signing as a reason for their top players like Hazard and Courtois to stay, who have not been happy in the direction the club has taken.
Zidane is reported to be 'considering' leaving the club at the end of this season amidst unhappiness with his performance this season. He would fit into Chelsea, and help them with a more aggressive style of play, something that has been lacking in recent years.
Their heavy defence and reliance on counter-attacks have caused them to lose many matches, and if Zidane were to leave Madrid, Chelsea would be the perfect place to start over. The team has enough money for him to make the changes he wishes in the transfer market, and is also home to some top class players.
#1 Luis Enrique
The former Barcelona manager took a sabbatical after he left the Spanish giants in April last year. During his three years with the club, he had helped them to win a Champions League title as well as two La Liga titles.
While he has not spoken of his interest in joining any clubs, there is always a chance that Luis Enrique might be convinced to come to the Premier League and take charge of Chelsea should Conte be replaced.
He has said last year that he was not thinking of joining any other club, but to recover for at least a year. Now that he has been without a club for this long, he may look to get back in the game. His style of play is similar to that of Chelsea, and the team might suit the manager well. Both have a defensive attitude with short passes and a counter-attacking style.
Al that it remains now, is for Chelsea to be able to convince him to join them before any other club approaches him.
