Last Five Chelsea Managers Assessed

Chelsea are on the hunt for another full-time manager after Graham Potter was relieved from his duties following a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa earlier in the month.

Whist Frank Lampard has taken the reins on an interim basis, the Blues will be searching for a fifth boss in four years in the summer as Todd Boehly and co. look for some much-needed domestic improvement.

We analyse the previous five managers to take charge at Stamford Bridge.

Check out the latest Premier League manager odds at William Hill

Mauricio Pochettino – June 2023 to May 2024

After an extensive and calculated search for a new manager – with names like Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique being strongly considered by the Chelsea board – the Blues announced that former PSG, Tottenham and Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino would be taking the reins at Stamford Bridge on a two-year deal.

There was immediate scepticism from the Stamford Bridge faithful around the appointment of a former Spurs manager, with the mood souring even further following a run of three wins in the Argentine’s opening 10 league games, including a 4-1 thumping away at Newcastle and a 2-0 loss at home to Brentford.

The second half of the season saw an upturn in form for the Blues, who ended the season with the fourth best league record in 2024 and reached the final of the League Cup, losing bitterly to Liverpool in extra time. However, despite a positive end to the campaign, Chelsea parted ways with Pochettino a mere two days after their final Premier League game against Bournemouth after failing to qualify for the Champions League for a second successive season.

Graham Potter – September 2022 to April 2023

Graham Potter was swiftly appointed as Blues boss following Todd Boehly’s controversial decision to sack Thomas Tuchel seven games into the season. Potter’s diplomatic and open approach was seen as a massive bonus to the ownership, as well as his tactical flexibility and track record of slowly building clubs up from the ground.

Things originally started brightly for Potter with five wins in his opening six games across both the Premier League and Champions League, which included a 5-0 aggregate victory over Italian champions AC Milan. However, Chelsea’s form began to decline amidst a damaging period of injuries, notably the likes of Reece James and N’Golo Kante – the latter never even started a game for Potter.

Potter was sacked in early April with the Blues in mid-table after a 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa, with fans never warming to his soft-centred approach and lack of authority in press conferences.

Thomas Tuchel – January 2021 to September 2022

Thomas Tuchel’s appointment was initially met with fury from Blues fans after Roman Abramovich brutally sacked club legend Frank Lampard halfway through the 2020/21 season. However, the German quickly won over his doubters and quickly got Chelsea playing some of the most fluid and tactically astute football ever witnessed at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues seemed invincible under Tuchel at one point as they marched to both the FA Cup and Champions League finals, whilst sealing fourth place in the Premier League, having been ninth when the German took over. Despite surprisingly losing the FA Cup to Leicester City at Wembley, the Blues outclassed Manchester City in May’s Champions League final in Porto, lifting the trophy having conceded the fewest amount of goals out of any other previous winner (4).

Chelsea began the following season as one of the title favourites, but things began to fall apart in November following more long-term injuries to key players and sanctions imposed on the club. Whilst the Blues reached two domestic cup finals and finished third, new owner Todd Boehly decided to part ways with Tuchel after citing a lack of communication and moodiness from the infamously grumpy German, much to the despair of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Frank Lampard – July 2019 to January 2021

Having being disillusioned by previous manager Maurizio Sarri’s style of football, Chelsea fans were delighted by the club’s decision to appoint all-time top goalscorer Frank Lampard as the new Blues boss, with the former England midfielder having enjoyed a successful opening season in management with Derby County.

With Chelsea having to contend with a transfer ban in the summer, Lampard transformed the west Londoners’ approach by blending youth to the squad, giving the likes of Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham and Reece James the exposure to senior football that undoubtedly turned them into the players they are today. The Blues secured Champions League football for the following campaign on the final day of the season and reached the FA Cup final in Lampard’s first year in charge.

Despite a huge influx of signings in summer, including Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell, Chelsea’s domestic form failed to improve at the pace Roman Abramovich would have wanted. A dismal run of results and performances saw the Blues part way with the club legend in January, swiftly appointing Thomas Tuchel in the following days.

Maurizio Sarri – July 2018 to June 2019

Maurizio Sarri’s appointment symbolised a change in tune for the Chelsea ownership, supposedly prioritizing a positive style of football over proven success. Sarri’s attacking approach that worked so well at Napoli initially paid dividends for the Blues, with Eden Hazard in particular operating at the very top of his game. Chelsea found themselves second in the league after 11 games, racking up 27 goals in the process.

The following winter period became quite stale for the club on the pitch. Sarri’s football phased away from attacking and defined to slow and tedious, and results began to really deter. Having been touted as potential title challengers earlier in the season, Liverpool and Manchester City pulled away from the pack and Chelsea were slowly dragged into another top four race.

Fans become increasingly disillusioned with the Italian’s tactics and substitutions, and despite a brilliant performance in the Europa League Final to beat Arsenal 4-1 in Baku, many felt Sarri’s time at Chelsea was finished. The Italian technically wasn’t dismissed by Roman Abramovich – instead taking up Juventus’ managerial offer to return to Serie A, but supporters were nonetheless happy to see the back of the former Napoli boss.

Check out all the latest football betting offers at William Hill