Julian Nagelsmann is the early front-runner to become Chelsea's next permanent head coach following Graham Potter's sacking.
football.london understands the German is a serious contender to replace Potter after the latter was sacked from his role on Sunday evening following his 11th defeat as head coach against Aston Villa just 24 hours before. Nagelsmann has been out of a job for just over a week after he was replaced at Bayern Munich by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.
Nagelsmann did an exceptional job at the Allianz Arena, leaving the iconic German stadium with a 71 per cent win-rate in all competitions. The 35-year-old won three major honours in just over one-and-a-half seasons with Bayern, with one Bundesliga title and two German Super Cup trophies.
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So the decision to sack Nagelsmann may have come as a bit of a surprise to a lot of people. Bayern executive Oliver Kahn said when the club decided that the side started to play less attractive football since the turn of the year.
Kahn said: "When we signed Julian Nagelsmann for FC Bayern in the summer of 2021, we were convinced we would work with him on a long-term basis – and that was the goal of all of us right up to the end. Julian shares our aspiration to play successful and attractive football.
"But now we have come to the conclusion that the quality in our squad – despite the Bundesliga title last year – has come to the fore less and less often. After the World Cup, we have played less successfully and less attractively.
"The big fluctuations in performance have cast doubt on our goals for this season, but also our goals for the future. That is why we have acted now."
Nagelsmann remains, however, a very hot property around Europe when it comes to management. At 35 years old, he has his best years ahead of him and Chelsea are seriously interested in the prospect of appointing the German coach but everyone at the club are determined to ensure there is a proper process when appointing Potter's successor. In fact, they have already been given the green light when it comes to Nagelsmann by Christopher Nkunku who will join Chelsea on a permanent deal in the summer transfer window.
Nkunku was signed by RB Leipzig in July 2019, just a month after Nagelsmann was appointed as manager of the German club. In his two seasons at the Red Bull Arena, Nagelsmann played Nkunku 84 times in all competitions, with the France international scoring 12 goals and providing 27 assists in the process.
The soon-to-be Chelsea player was an up-and-coming member of the Leipzig side then but he has really kicked on since Nagelsmann's departure from the club. The German really paved the way for Nkunku who is now one of the brightest attacking talents in European football.
"Julian Nagelsmann also expects a lot from me, and he's demanding about what I do in training and games," Nkunku said to Bundesliga's official website in 2020. "That's taken me further. He also talks a lot about tactics."
The feeling was very much mutual. Nagelsmann was a huge fan of Nkunku and that was reflected with his comments about the Frenchman a few years ago.
"He's versatile and has real quality in attacking one-on-ones," the former Leipzig boss said. "He also fits perfectly with our transfer DNA as a young player with great potential who can take steps forward, just like us as a club. He's hungry for success and we're glad to have him on board."
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