Kieran McKenna and Enzo Maresca are in a “two-horse race” to take over from Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea. Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke explained that Chelsea are targeting a young, progressive manager who would have little say in the club’s recruitment.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
McKenna, 38, is in demand, with Brighton interested in the Ipswich boss, while Man United could bring him back to Old Trafford after the FA Cup final if Erik ten Hag is sacked.
Meanwhile, Maresca, 44, is very highly rated by those within the game and has admirers on the Chelsea board.
Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Girona manager Michel remain on the list, but the Ipswich and Leicester bosses are the primary targets in what O’Rourke says is “looking like a two-horse race”.
Kieran McKenna and Enzo Maresca lead race for Chelsea job
Both managers led their teams to Championship promotion this season, with Maresca’s Ipswich side topping the league while Ipswich followed, one point behind, in second place.
The Leicester boss arrived following their relegation last summer, having previously worked as an assistant under Pep Guardiola at Man City where he honed his skills.
His title-winning side scored an average of 1.93 goals per game, while conceding just 0.89 across all competitions, averaging 62.3 per cent of the possession as they racked up 97 points in the Championship.
McKenna, meanwhile, joined Ipswich in 2021, having previously worked as an assistant to Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralph Rangnick at Man United.
In his three years at the club, he has led Ipswich to back-to-back promotion from League One to the Premier League, attracting interest from top clubs as a result.
Last season, his side averaged 52.8 per cent of the possession across all competitions, scoring an average of 2 goals per game, while conceding 1.24 per game.
Both bosses remain the front-runners in the bid to take over at Stamford Bridge following Pochettino’s surprise dismissal while Chelsea continue their process.