2 Fresh Names Have Been Added To Chelsea Manager Shortlist
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac are candidates to be the next Chelsea manager, according to reports.
Multiple journalists have already confirmed that the agents of Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva and former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso have been contacted.
However, writing on his Substack, Simon Phillips said that Glasner and Kovac are “two new names” who have been added to the club’s shortlist.
The Blues are still at a preliminary stage where they are contacting managers to ascertain their interest in the post, so there are no favourites for the job at the moment.
Glasner is set to leave Palace
The Austrian confirmed back in January that he would be departing Selhurst Park at the end of the season when his contract expires.
During his time with the Eagles, Glasner has won the FA Cup and the Community Shield, and he could potentially end his tenure with another trophy.
Palace have reached the semi-finals of the Conference League. They play the first leg of their semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk this evening.
Buy a Chelsea away stadium shirt from Fanatics here
Why are Chelsea considering Kovac?
For those who don’t follow the Bundesliga, the interest in the 54-year-old will come as a surprise. He was only appointed Dortmund head coach midway through last season, but he has impressed during his brief stint in the dugout at Signal Iduna Park.
Kovac replaced Nuri Sahin in February 2025 and guided Dortmund to a fourth-place finish. This campaign, the German club are set to finish runners-up behind Bayern Munich. He has actually managed Bayern in the past, too, where he won the league title in 2019.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
