Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has emerged as a surprise new contender to become next Chelsea manager after Julian Nagelsmann is ruled out of the running.
Former Manchester City defender Kompany began Friday as a 25/1 outsider for the Stamford Bridge job but has been backed in to as short as 6/1 with some firms after Chelsea were reported to have dismissed a move for ex-Bayern boss Nagelsmann.
Kompany is in his second job in management at Turf Moor, following an unsuccessful spell at Anderlecht in Belgium, and has led the club to an immediate Premier League return.
They will be crowned Sky Bet Championship winners with victory against QPR on Saturday.
Ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino remains the market leader as a heavy 1/4 favourite to take the Blues' reins.
- 1/4 - Mauricio Pochettino
- 6/1 - Vincent Kompany
- 8/1 - Marcelo Gallardo
- 10/1 - Jose Mourinho, Julian Nagelsmann
- 18/1 - Brendan Rodgers, Frank Lampard, Luis Enrique, Ruben Amorim
- 22/1 - Diego Simeone, Stefano Pioli, Unai Emery
- 25/1 - Roberto De Zerbi, Zinedine Zidane
- 33/1 - Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti, Didier Deschamps, Marco Silva, Oliver Glasner, Pep Guardiola, Thomas Frank
Odds correct 1850 BST (21/04/23)
Nagelsmann had reportedly been unimpressed with the club’s courtship of other managers and wanted a more straightforward appointment.
He had not been the preferred candidate of the hierarchy during the search despite being one of the first names to be linked with the job following Graham Potter’s removal, and talks between the parties have now ended for good.
Former Spain boss Luis Enrique, an early favourite for the job after impressing club officials in his first face-to-face meeting, dropped out of consideration last week. It is understood the club were put off by demands made by the 52-year-old.
Interim boss Frank Lampard, who has lost all four matches since being appointed two weeks ago, is still expected to be in charge of the team until the end of the season.