Chelsea ‘looking at Pochettino replacements’ after Carabao Cup final woes and ‘retain interest in top European manager’

CHELSEA are reportedly drawing up a list of replacements for Mauricio Pochettino after yesterday’s defeat in the Carabao Cup final.

And Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim remains locked in Todd Boehly’s sights.

Chelsea have reportedly drawn up a list of potential replacements for Mauricio PochettinoRex

AlamyThe Blues remain keen on Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim[/caption]

The Blues were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Wembley thanks to a 118th minute header from Virgil van Dijk.

Jurgen Klopp’s men emerged victorious despite having a number of academy teens in the side.

And Chelsea remain without a trophy under the leadership of Boehly after spending £1billion since his 2022 takeover.

The American has already worked his way through three managers, first sacking Thomas Tuchel before moving onto Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.

But the Mail claims Boehly could yet make it four after starting to explore replacements for Pochettino.

And high on the list is Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim, who was a top candidate for the job last summer.

His Portuguese side are two points off top in the Primeira Liga with a game in hand.

And Amorim is one of several names on a shortlist to replace Pochettino should Chelsea decide to pull the trigger.

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The Blues were expected to land a top four finish this season after spending eye-watering fees on stars like Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku.

But Chelsea are 17 points off fourth-place Aston Villa.

And losing the Carabao final even saw them miss out on automatic qualification for the Europa Conference League.

Chelsea’s season now rests on the FA Cup, with the Blues facing Leeds on Wednesday.

Defeat in that match could prove to be disastrous for Pochettino, whose ties to Spurs have already driven a wedge between him and Chelsea supporters.

After losing to Liverpool, the Argentine urged his players to “feel the pain” of the result.

He said: “They need to feel the pain. We played for a trophy we didn’t get. Now it’s the same, what can you tell me to feel better? Nothing.

“We are very competitive and now we need to move forward. They [the players] need to feel the pain like us.

“They need to realise that we need to work more, do better things. We need to improve and compete in this level against a side that in the last five, six, seven years has competed for big things.

“It’s about arriving here first and then feel what it means to play for a big trophy. I remember after three, four years they (Liverpool) lost the Champions League [final], they lost the Europa League [final].

“They keep believing in the project and in the next season [got] stronger until they got what they wanted.

“That is a good example, Liverpool. We want to challenge a team like Liverpool. [We should not be] frustrated today because we didn’t get the trophy. We need to keep believing as that is the most important thing.”