The departing Blues boss has insisted she will have a say in selecting her successor, but who are the best candidates for the role?
It’s difficult to imagine Chelsea without Emma Hayes. After all, the two have worked in tandem to deliver unprecedented success. When Hayes took over, the Blues’ women’s team had never won a major trophy. Now, they have won 15. How on earth do you replace her?
That’s the difficult task that this club has now. As confirmed on Tuesday, Hayes will leave Chelsea at the end of the season, set to become the new head coach of the United States women’s national team. The news was a shock when it arrived, but it was always going to come to this at some point – and it at least gives Chelsea a good six months or so to find that perfect successor.
They’ll have some help, too. “I think it’s really important, if possible, to create a succession plan for me, much like we do with the players,” Hayes said on Friday. “I will work with the club in the succession plan and do everything I can to make sure there is as good at transition as possible so that my successor can have the same level of success I had.”
There have already been a handful of names linked with the job, one that will certainly appeal to many because of the budget available, the incredible support from the club and the extremely talented squad that will be inherited.
So, who could follow Hayes as the new Chelsea manager? GOAL picks out some of those worth a look-in…
Getty ImagesCasey Stoney
One of the first to be linked with the job has been Casey Stoney, the former Manchester United head coach who has done tremendously well since taking charge of the San Diego Wave in the NWSL in 2021. Under Stoney, the Wave became the first expansion team to reach the NWSL play-offs in its first season in 2022, and this year, the team won its first major honour, the Shield, by topping the standings.
The 41-year-old knows the Women’s Super League inside out, having played in it for many years and then done a fantastic job laying the foundations for United’s women’s team by taking charge of its first three seasons. She is even a former Chelsea player, having represented the club for four years before the WSL era. But is she ready to leave the U.S. so soon?
After all, Stoney has only been in San Diego for two years and has already delivered big things. There’s a really exciting project building there and it would be a big decision for her and her family to relocate again so drastically and so soon.
But Chelsea is a huge job and a huge opportunity. It could certainly be enough to persuade the former England international to return to London.
AdvertisementGettyLaura Harvey
Another name from the NWSL, Laura Harvey has been in the U.S. for the last 10 years and has enjoyed a lot of success, winning three Shield titles with OL Reign and leading them to three Championship games, including the one that took place in San Diego this past weekend.
Harvey was born in England and had spells with Birmingham and Arsenal, winning six trophies with the latter before choosing to move across the pond back in 2013. Her experience in her home country came a while ago now, but she still has plenty of knowledge to tap into. The game has grown a lot in England since she left the Gunners, too, as the WSL is now a fully professional league and one of the best in the world.
It's no surprise that Harvey is being linked with Chelsea – she’s been mentioned for the England job in the past, even – and it would certainly make sense if she was ready for a new challenge after so long in the United States. This is a manager that knows how to build a project for the long-term, she refines a clear team style and is hugely respected.
But having lost all three of those NWSL Championship games that she has reached with the Reign, the 43-year-old still has unfinished business. Could that see her stick around? Or would the pull of a club like Chelsea be too much?
Getty/GOALLluis Cortes
Rounding out the three main names being linked with the job in these early days is Lluis Cortes, the former Barcelona boss who led the Catalans to a first-ever Women’s Champions League title. Cortes left his post as head coach of the Ukraine women’s national team earlier this year, so would be available right away. That could certainly help with some of that succession planning, if Chelsea were able to get the 37-year-old in before Hayes departs.
Cortes played a huge role in the development of many of Barca’s stars – including 2023 Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati – and knows all about not only the expectation of the very highest level, but how to deliver under that pressure, too.
What may be of concern are the comments from Cortes when he stepped down at the end of a sparkling 2020-21 season that saw Barca win the treble. “Right now, I don’t feel have the energy to keep leading this team,” he said, having been in charge for two seasons. “The best team in the world needs a coach who can drive them, be contagious and transmit strength to the group, and I don’t feel able to do that right now.
“It has been a very draining year, and the main reason for that is the time. It has been very long. What this team needs to carry on winning and competing is different changes, and I am convinced one of those is for me to step aside and put the club and the team ahead of everything.”
If Chelsea want to appoint someone to lead this team for the long-term, then does Cortes have the energy to do that? He left Barca when the world was still in the midst of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Could the impact that had on everyday life and on football have played a role in him being so drained by the Barca job?
Cortes is one of the best coaches in the game and should at least be considered for the post, but the Blues will want to make sure the person they appoint is capable of leading this team for several years.
Getty ImagesSonia Bompastor
If Chelsea want a coach who is a serial winner and has proved their worth at the highest level, then Sonia Bompastor certainly ticks those boxes. The 43-year-old had two trophy-laden spells with Lyon as a player and she has since translated that success into her managerial career, winning the Champions League with the club in her first full season in charge.
Bompastor knows what it takes to win at the elite level of the game, but she also has another valuable experience under her belt, having been Lyon’s academy director for eight years before becoming head coach. As a result, she knows what those young players need to progress to the senior level and has helped to develop many of them during her two years in charge of the first team.
Chelsea have an extremely fruitful academy packed with talent and Bompastor could help to unlock the potential of that, with the Blues not always giving those youngsters tons of opportunities simply because of how stacked the first-team squad is.
The big question, though, is whether or not Bompastor would be ready to leave Lyon. It’s a club she loves and has spent a lot of time with, and she is only in her third full season as a head coach. It doesn’t feel like she’s quite finished there yet, even if to take over at Chelsea would be an enticing proposition.
