{"id":241676,"date":"2026-05-03T19:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T19:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/03\/hes-better-than-fabregas-chelsea-in-talks-to-hire-elite-4-2-3-1-manager\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T19:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T19:10:13","slug":"hes-better-than-fabregas-chelsea-in-talks-to-hire-elite-4-2-3-1-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/03\/hes-better-than-fabregas-chelsea-in-talks-to-hire-elite-4-2-3-1-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"He’s better than Fabregas: Chelsea in talks to hire “elite” 4-2-3-1 manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Chelsea<\/a> have lost five Premier League<\/a> matches in a row, and while the decision to sack Liam Rosenior was understandable and welcomed by supporters, it’s clear that BlueCo’s initial hire was a questionable one.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While the winning DNA that was woven into Stamford Bridge over so many years under Roman Abramovich’s ownership has remained intact, the past few years in west London have been unstable indeed.<\/p>\n

Disastrous results and performances have jeaopardised the eighth-place Blues, who are into the FA Cup final, meeting Manchester City at Wembley, but this season cannot be repeated.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Chelsea Permanent Managers under Boehly<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

Manager<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Apps<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

PPM<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Liam Rosenior<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

23<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1.52<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Enzo Maresca<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

92<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1.97<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Mauricio Pochettino<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

51<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1.78<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Graham Potter<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

31<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1.42<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Now, Chelsea are in a spot of bother, unlikely to qualify for the Champions League. Regardless, this is one of the most compelling football projects in the world, and with a number of top managers interested, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali cannot afford to blunder.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Chelsea in talks with Premier League manager<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Chelsea have put Calum McFarlane back in charge on an interim basis until the end of the season, but an elite head coach will be needed to lead the club forward next year and beyond.<\/p>\n

Multiple candidates have been sounded out, with Como manager Cesc Fabregas among the mooted.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Como president Mirwan Suwarso said that he “is free to join Chelsea if he wishes<\/a>” this summer, but BlueCo will be wary of appointing a manager who is untested in the Premier League, albeit an exceptionally talented one who forged a title-winning career during his Chelsea playing days.<\/p>\n

Instead, Chelsea could move for outgoing Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola<\/a>, with Football Insider confirming<\/a> that he is a top contender for the club, who have held talks with him.<\/p>\n

Iraola, 43, is one of the most in-demand managers in the world, having done an exceptional job with the Cherries.<\/p>\n

Crystal Palace are also pushing to appoint the Spaniard, but if Chelsea are serious, Iraola would surely lean toward west London.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Why Iraola would be a Fabregas upgrade<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Make no mistake, Fabregas is a terrific coach doing a terrific job in Italy with Como, but he’s inexperienced and might not be ready to take on a job of such magnitude at Chelsea.<\/p>\n

Iraola, meanwhile, is approaching the end of his third term in the Premier League – and what a job he has done with Bournemouth. Hailed as “the best young coach in the world<\/a>” by Sky Sports’ Sam Tighe, the 4-2-3-1 manager brings an intense, forward-moving style of play.<\/p>\n

Following Bournemouth’s win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, they have ascended to sixth place in the Premier League. This is astonishing, with the south coast side increasingly likely to secure passage into the Europa League. Champions League qualification is unlikely, but not outside the realm of possibility.<\/p>\n

Chelsea need stability, a single-track-minded approach that can be directed over a number of years. Iraola can offer that, having taken Bournemouth from strength to strength and shown that he can inculcate a “rock and roll<\/a>” playing style, as he branded his own tactical vision.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Bournemouth\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Of course, Fabregas could make a real difference at Chelsea, but he has only been in management for a short while, taking Como to the upper region of the Serie A ladder, but doing so with an affluent outfit.<\/p>\n

Chelsea have money themselves, but Iraola probably trumps him in that regard too, so resourceful at Bournemouth, surviving multiple big-money sales and still developing his team, seeing them grow.<\/p>\n

While there’s something romantic about the thought of Fabregas returning to the Bridge this summer, it would be a rogue decision to make the appointment when Iraola is there for the taking.<\/p>\n

Fabregas’ compatriot is the real deal, and he would help shape an illustrious era.<\/p>\n

\n


\n \"AFC<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tTalks held with agents: Chelsea ready to hire “genius” Iraola upgrade
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h5>\n

Chelsea have narrowed down their shortlist of managerial candidates after Liam Rosenior’s sacking. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chelsea have lost five Premier League matches in a row, and while the decision to sack Liam Rosenior was understandable and welcomed by supporters, it’s clear that BlueCo’s initial hire was a questionable one. While the winning DNA that was woven into Stamford Bridge over so many years under Roman Abramovich’s ownership has remained intact, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6808],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241676","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}