Chelsea will have to fight off competition to secure their new manager if a deal isn't agreed quickly. Todd Boehly pulled the plug on the big rebuild under Graham Potter after just seven months and is now in the position of looking to appoint a second new head coach in under 12 months since taking over.
It comes after the former Brighton man was axed from his role at Stamford Bridge following the latest disappointing result - a 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa - leaving the club in the bottom half. Potter's assistant Bruno Saltor will take charge of the league clash against Liverpool on Tuesday.
For the owners it is just the latest PR blunder in what has been a far from smooth transition to a new regime. Nothing perhaps sums this up more than Thomas Tuchel.
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Although the German was struggling at the start of the campaign himself, losing three of his first seven games, the continued spiral in form and organisation across the club since his departure has only gone on to exemplify why many were so frustrated that the fan favourite was moved on at the first sign of disruption.
Furthermore, his recent appointment at one of the top jobs in Europe continues that trend. Tuchel was able to have an immediate impact at Bayern Munich, moving them back to the top of the Bundesliga with a 4-2 win over second place Borussia Dortmund. Bayern's drop from the summit was part of the reason that Julian Nagelsmann was sacked last week.
Meanwhile Potter's Chelsea went down to Villa and moved to 11th. It was a bad look for the club and the owners at a bad time and patience had worn too thin. Despite a brief resurgence prior to the international break confidence was lost once again with a late draw to Everton and finally the lack of cutting edge against Villa.
Whereas Potter was appointed as Blues boss within 36 hours of Tuchel being sacked there is no such expectation that a similarly quick choice on the newest man to take over at SW6 will be made. The Athletic report that Nagelsmann, despite only just leaving his role in Munich, has already attracted the attention of Tottenham as well as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, both of whom currently have permanent managers in place.
With little to play for in the remaining two months of the season Chelsea are in no rush to make a snap decision here but the pressure of a managerial tussle in the summer may just make up minds across the continent in a way previously not seen. Ultimately getting the choice right is better than making it quickly but Bayern themselves have already shown why a speedy approach is beneficial.
As well as the uncertainty over Nagelsmann's future, the availability of Tuchel on the market in advance of the demand for elite coaches saw them act quickest, therefore beating Tottenham, Madrid and PSG to his signature should any of them have moved into a position to make a move.
Chelsea are now putting themselves in a similar position, ready to pounce on potential new coaches prior to pre-season and the 2023/24 term, giving them a head start. It may prove to be a risky tactic but given their drop down the league, poor form and lack of signs of improvement there were few other options emerging. Once more Boehly and Co are backing on the future being kinder than the present.
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