Kieran McKenna is no longer being considered to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, with three now left in the race and an appointment expected this week.
The leading candidates are Thomas Frank, Enzo Maresca and Roberto De Zerbi.
All three men are seen as having the right attributes for the job. The list reflects a desire to appoint a dynamic, forward thinking and progressive coach who fits in with the club’s ideology and who has experience of coaching in English football at a high level.
The new Chelsea head coach will sign a contract which will be longer than the two-year deal Pochettino accepted last summer.
Chelsea co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have been working on drawing up the final shortlist of recommended candidates.
The final decision on the new head coach will be made by the Chelsea ownership group, which includes co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly.
Pochettino beat Arne Slot and Vincent Kompany to the job last summer. The three men were on the final shortlist and Ange Postecoglou was also a leading candidate.
Senior Chelsea figures believe the new head coach will be the final piece of the jigsaw to fit into the new modern structure they have built at the club.
Chelsea expect to be busy in the transfer market this summer with players coming and going. Trading is likely to see the signing of a new No. 9 and centre back while the futures of high-earners such as Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga need to be resolved.
Although Chelsea have to comply with the Premier League’s financial regulations, they are not under pressure to sell homegrown players such as Conor Gallagher and Reece James before the end of June.
Chelsea are close to completing a deal worth up to £42m to sign Estevao Willian from Palmeiras. Chelsea will pay an initial £30m and £12m in potential add-ons for the winger who will move to Stamford Bridge after he turns 18 next year.
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