Vincent Kompany among final four candidates to be Chelsea manager

Former Belgian footballer and current Burnley manager Vincent Kompany is among the final four names under consideration to become Chelsea's coach next season, British news agency PA reported on Friday.

Three weeks ago, Chelsea sacked their second manager this season, Graham Potter, after sacking Thomas Tuchel in September last year. Frank Lampard was then named interim manager. Since his appointment, the team have lost four matches in a row and scored just once in the last six games. In the Champions League, they were knocked out by Real Madrid, while in the Premier League, they are in 11th place.

Besides Kompany, Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann are also said to be on Chelsea's shortlist. The former was briefly mentioned last year, after Belgium's World Cup elimination, as a possible successor to Roberto Martinez as national team coach. Last month, Nagelsmann was dismissed by Bayern Munich - where he was succeeded by Tuchel - and appears to be the top candidate in London.

The name of the fourth candidate is not known. Luis Enrique was mentioned several weeks ago but is said to have dropped out of the race since. The club was reportedly put off by the 52-year-old Spaniard's high demands.

Kompany, a former defender for the Belgian Red Devils and former captain of Manchester City, joined Burnley last summer after his tenure in Brussels with Anderlecht came to an unexpected end. In his first season in England, he secured promotion to the Premier League for his new team and the Championship title is within reach. A win against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday would be enough to secure the title.

(BRV)

^{© PHOTO OLI SCARFF / AFP}