Having opted to part company with Thomas Tuchel earlier this month, the new Chelsea ownership faced a difficult decision as to who to appoint as the club's head coach. But one thing was clear: they didn't want to go down the traditional route favoured under Roman Abramovich.
The Russian, who oversaw an unrivalled period of success at Stamford Bridge, tended to target tried-and-trusted coaches, those who had competed and won titles at the very top level of the European game. There were a couple of departures from those ideals – Roberto Di Matteo and Frank Lampard, for example – but their appointments were largely born out of circumstance.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali wanted to go down a different path. Bemused by the rotating cast of coaches in plum jobs, the American duo targeted someone they felt was approaching their pinnacle, a coach ready and prepared to take the final step into the upper echelon of the European game.
