A year ago
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Oliver Glasner, the manager of Eintracht Frankfurt, is a "great fan" of Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly, who may consider hiring Glasner again if Graham Potter is let go from his position in west London. The highly regarded Austrian coach drew the attention of the Chelsea administration last season when he led Frankfurt to victory in the Europa League, and his team has also surpassed all expectations this season by making it to the Champions League knockout rounds.
The Chelsea management has taken notice of Glasner's work, and Boehly and technical director Christopher Vivell, who shares connections with Glasner at Red Bull Salzburg, are said to be among his staunchest supporters.
According to reports, Boehly even contacted Glasner in September as he started to prepare Thomas Tuchel's replacements in the wake of the German coach's shocking firing.
Christian Falk of Bild reports that Chelsea feels positively about Glasner despite their choice to move forward with Potter's hiring.
Given how angry fans were about the decision to fire Thomas Tuchel, Todd Boehly "will try to hold on to Graham Potter for as long as he can," wrote Falk in his Caught Offside column. Falk also suggests Glasner will be a candidate to replace Potter if he is fired.
"Yet, if Potter is unable to improve Chelsea's league performance, Boehly may be compelled to consider other managerial possibilities.
"We heard that Chelsea had already knocked on Oliver Glasner's door during the summer to inquire about his interest in becoming the project manager in London. They ultimately chose Potter since the situation wasn't as clear-cut.
Falk also observed the relevance of the connections between Vivell and Glasner, which may work in the Austrian's favor should he ever seek the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.
Boehly will have been really pleased with how Glasner helped Frankfurt win the Europa League, he continued. Glasner might be an option if he needs to get rid of Potter. It's important to keep in mind that Christopher Vivell, Chelsea's technical director, is actually a native of RB Leipzig.
"When you come from Red Bull's coaching program, which has a unique philosophy for each graduate, like Glasner did, you tend to hold the same opinions as present and past Red Bull club personnel. As you can see, Vivell and Glasner share the same perspective on football, which is one good reason why, should Potter be fired, he might become a hot subject at Chelsea.
Frankfurt is now in sixth place in the Bundesliga standings, only two points behind Freiburg in fourth place as the competition for Champions League football heats up.
Having escaped the group stages in second place behind Tottenham, Eintracht will also play Napoli in a two-leg Champions League round of 16 match.
The Bundesliga team is difficult to beat and has a history of finding attacking potential in recent years.
Randal Kolo Muani, who Glasner recruited from Nantes on a pre-contract agreement last summer, shone at the World Cup in Qatar with France.
Glasner's Bundesliga expertise may potentially be advantageous for his possible employment opportunities at Chelsea.
While Christopher Nkunku, who will be joining from RB Leipzig at the end of the season, is expected to come, former Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz is still struggling to reach his full potential in west London.
There is a feeling that Chelsea may require new approaches if they are to somehow finish in the top four this season due to their lack of improvement on the field.
Potter's position appears to be secure for the time being, but if things do not change, Boehly may have little choice but to shoot Potter.
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