Chelsea already have four-man shortlist to replace Mauricio Pochettino

It is set to be an interesting few days at Chelsea. The Premier League season is barely completed and the Blues have made the decision to dispense with their manager and start again.

Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea, after just one season in charge. He becomes the third permanent manager to lose his job under Todd Boehly and BlueCo and means the Blues are looking for the sixth man to stand in the dugout and oversee a match in two years.

It has been an amicable split, despite tensions behind the scenes over how things are run both on and off the pitch. But after a fine second half of the season it is a decision that will leave Chelsea supporters scratching their heads.

Pochettino had come under fire from sections of the fanbase throughout the season, but had appeared to have turned things around. However, he had not managed to get the owners onside, with clashes over the coaching setup.

Now Boehly and BlueCo are looking for another permanent manager in west London, amid transfer plans that are already taking shape, with a number of players thought to be in Pochettino's plans at risk of being sold to generate profit.

football.london understands there are four men currently on the Blues' shortlist to replace Pochettino, although that number may grow over the coming days and weeks.

Enzo Maresca

Pep Guardiola's former protege has done wonders in one season with Leicester City, guiding the Foxes back to the Premier League by becoming champions in the Championship.

Chelsea's owners saw first-hand what Maresca is capable of during an FA Cup clash this season - a game in which arguably Leicester deserved more from than their 4-2 defeat on the day.

READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino exit LIVE - De Zerbi favourite, next manager odds and mutual exit

READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino leaves Chelsea after meeting club chiefs

Kieran McKenna

Another manager from the Championship who has caught the eye of not just Chelsea but a number of other clubs looking for a new manager - namely Brighton.

McKenna has taken Ipswich Town from League One to the Premier League in two seasons and is highly regarded in the game following academy roles at Tottenham and Manchester United, where he also worked as a first-team coach.

Another, like Maresca, who has just made it to the top flight; would he leave one job for another?

Sebastian Hoeness

What a job he has done in the Bundesliga! Hoeness guided Stuttgart to runners-up spot in the German top flight with Bayern Munich dropping into third on the final day of the season.

Stuttgart had the second-best defensive record in the Bundesliga, only behind Bayer Leverkusen, who, let's face it, had a pretty remarkable season. With Stuttgart in the Champions League, would he leave right now for a team in either the Europa League or Europa Conference League?

Thomas Frank

Frank has earned plaudits regularly since taking charge of Brentford. The Bees have not had as strong a season as they would have hoped for in 2023/24, finishing 16th following their ninth-place finish in 2022/23, but his stock continues to be high.

Frank and Brentford have always been data-led, which is sure to impress Boehly and Clearlake and he could be ready to make the next step in his managerial career.