According to media reports Chelsea have a shortlist of 5 should they need to dispense of the services of Frank Lampard, and Saints Ralph Hasenhuttl is on their radar to take over at Stamford Bridge after his good work at Southampton.

Such is the thinking at the so called Big Six clubs these days the stock of their managers goes up and down at a faster rate than the FTSE 100.

Only a couple o months ago Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked to be on his way out at Manchester United and Frank Lampard was being touted for the way he was starting to take Chelsea back to their former glory.

But come the New Year and the fortunes of the two men are reversed with Solskjaer likely to push United to the top of the Premier League during January and after 4 defeats in 6 games Chelsea have slipped down to 9th and more to the point behind clubs like Saints & Aston Villa as well as level with West Ham United.

This is unacceptable to the Chelsea hierarchy and it is said they are monitoring the situation of Lampard and considering their options.

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea have put together a ‘Bundesliga-heavy’ shortlist of potential replacements for Lampard - which also includes Hasenhuttl.

The media reports also say

"Chelsea are understood to be admirers of Hasenhuttl, however there is an acceptance that he would not leave Southampton in the middle of the season.

The Austrian is therefore not seen as an immediate option in the event of Lampard’s dismissal, yet if he continues to impress on the south coast he would be considered for the job in the summer."

This sort of contradicts the fact that they are ready to make an immediate change, if Lampard's job hangs by a thread as reports suggest, who would manage them whilst they wait for Hasenhuttl.

This suggests that the pressure on Lampard is media driven rather than from the boardroom.

Would Hasenhuttl be interested in the Chelsea job ? his track record suggests not, they are not the type of club he looks to be involved with, Chelsea are a club who sack managers on a whim, they want a manager who just spends their money and they demand instant success, Hasenhuttl doesn't chase money he chases long term success.

So Chelsea would not be a good fit for Hasenhuttl, now if Jurgen Klopp were to leave Liverpool in the next couple of years I would be worried.

Photo: Action Images

AirFlorida added 09:41 - Jan 9 I guess I wouldn't be surprised but I'd certainly be more disappointed than the departure of any other manager because he has embedded himself and his philosophies throughout the club, given us an identity and really connected with the fans- especially emotionally. Guess we need to live in the moment and enjoy the good times whilst they're here (they don't come round often) and try not to look too far ahead.. which is what I'm trying to do regarding Ings and Vesty.

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1teeminants added 09:59 - Jan 9 It’s about time a club similar to saints in stature like Wolves or Leicester were raped instead. They can have Brendan Rodgers.
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davidargyll added 10:14 - Jan 9 I think this is such rubbish. Where the media get their info from I’ve no idea, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was Paddy Power! After all Dean Smith is on the list at 33/1 (RH is apparently 12/1) and he’s got two hopes, Bob Hope and No Hope. But really Nick why do you continue to repeat this sh*t? From the tone of your piece you would appear to give the story some credence but then admittedly argue that it is unlikely. But RH has said repeatedly how he - and importantly his family - love the club and the area so why on earth would he want to leave at the wave of an oligarch’s (or the Warner) cheque book? Why not believe him and dismiss these rumours out of hand? Yes of course he’s ambitious but I think he feels that there is a lot more to life than money. I firmly believe he is here to take the Saints much much higher up the tree, so why on earth mess it all up by leaving? The skill he has shown is NOT to take a load of prima donnas and turn them into winners but to take Class B and C players and turn them into a Class A team; in other words not the sort of plan that Abramovich has ever had. I believe RH has given himself four years to do it with the Saints and I don’t see him moving on much before he’s achieved that, if even then. Finally do you really think that a man who showed such emotion at the end of the Liverpool game is really about to upsticks and hopping it to Stamford Bridge? No Way Jose! I KNOW THERE’S NOT MUCH GOING ON BUT PLEASE CAN YOU STOP REPEATING THIS SORT OF FAKE NEWS AND START TAKING OUR MANAGER AT HIS WORD.

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MRHALL93 added 10:40 - Jan 9 I don't think Ralph will leave the club for a while. There's lots of reasons why I think this. 1. The job he currently has is much more bigger than just managing a first team as the club have set up their entire football ethos around his philosophy. I can't say any other club in the Premier League would do the same. 2. It would've been easy for the club to sack him after the 9-0 defeat against Leicester and he knows that. But the club has shown that believe by backing him and we're now reaping the rewards. I think he recognises how much the club have done for his career and have allowed to progress and show what a top manager he is, despite that defeat. 3. He's genuinely passionate about the club. For me, it seems like this job is more than just a job for Ralph. His reaction on Monday night proved this and also he cried a bit when fans came back, I think he genuinely loves the club. But let's face it, Ralph is probably the best manager outside of the "big 6" in the league so everytime a manager at the big club gets scrutinised, he's going to be the top runner to replace them. The same happened with OGS and now we're hearing the same with Frank. I low key think the developments happening to the club atm are similar to what Poch was able to do at Spurs (okay we're not as big as Spurs). I think Ralph will want to stay for a couple of more seasons to see where he can take the club.

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perazi added 10:52 - Jan 9 Click bait. Ralph won't be going to Chelsea. Silly story.
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NewburySaint added 11:03 - Jan 9 I think you have eventually alluded to it Nick in that RH doesn’t seem the type to go to such a hateful (my words, not yours!) club, from the owners to the supporters, like Chelsea.
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highfield49 added 11:42 - Jan 9 To be fair to Nick, TUI wouldn't be much of a forum if he only posted positive material that was frequently of little or no interest. Most of us would agree that RH doesn't look like the type of manager that Chelsea would appoint, but that doesn't mean to say that their owner hasn't decided that players couldn't be produced through an academy rather than cherry picking from other clubs. With immigration rules and work permits coming into play it seems likely that British nationals are going to be easier to sign, rather than talented unknowns from other regions, so we have a manager who could be seen as a very desirable employee with his record of turning sows ears into silk purses. Not many weeks ago Stephens, Vestergaard, N'Lundulu, Walker-Peters and Tella weren't on anyone's radar and now they are all touted by the media pundits as potential signings for "bigger clubs". I don't think RH would be tempted by Chelsea but more interesting opportunities will probably arise if he takes a team of unknowns into European contention.

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A1079 added 12:50 - Jan 9 Funny enough I was thinking (prior to him taking that the PSG job) that I could see Pochettino going to Chelsea and seemed like the type of manager they would go for. They have missed that boat - for now anyway. I think Chelsea will stick with Lampard until the end of the season even if it does not end well (though I appreciate their owners do not have a record of sticking with managers - even when they do well). This season (in the whole) is turning into a mess with all the covid stuff and is becoming increasingly devalued, especially in the cup competitions.

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underweststand added 16:23 - Jan 9 Another instance of " the media " handling transfer deals ..."on-line". Of course, any time a " top 4 club " loses 3 games in a row, or goes out of CL , the daggers are drawn for the manager, and a replacement list is drawn up by so-called TV pundits. Chelsea's owners (who have employed AND sacked) some of the best managers in the business ought to learn more of that precious quality ...patience. Saints were steadfast in their support of Ralph in those bad times, and I don't think that he will lightly dismiss that for a potential "suicide mission" at Stamford Bridge. The greater attraction of "even more money " may attract some, but even Ronald Koeman's in his "dream job " at Barca, may sometime regret he had " Everton" on his CV. In addition to this "story" ...we have Martin Keown trying to promote Vestergaard's move to Liverpool, and Glenn Hoddle trying to recruit Prowsey to his " beloved " Spurs. Later on... these types will come up with a " you heard it hear first " comment in a vain attempt to boost their own egos. Like all bad newspaper stories, this one deserves to " go on the spike " - and then you know where you can shove that.

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WestSussexSaint added 17:57 - Jan 9 And in other news Saints are lining up Harry Redknapp as Ralph’s successor when he goes to Chelsea. See how ridiculous these rumours are!
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Ali_Diarea added 23:02 - Jan 9 In my opinion, Ralph is the 5th best manager in the PL. In terms of managers at the ‘big 6’ clubs, I think he is better than 3 of them - Arteta, Lampard and OGS. Hopefully the prospect of the Southampton ‘project’ is exciting enough for Ralph to keep him with us for a bit longer, but it is inevitable that he will go to a bigger club at some point. Let’s just enjoy the ride while it lasts!

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Whatsforpud added 12:39 - Jan 10 Nick, you end your piece by saying that you would be worried if Klopp was to leave Liverpool in the next couple of years. I think the first person they would turn to would be Steven Gerard.
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