Chelsea hold talks with Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim

Chelsea hold talks with Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim as they widen their search for Graham Potter’s successor with Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann also among the leading candidates to take over this summer

• Ruben Amorim led Sporting Lisbon to the Primeira Liga title in 2021
• Chelsea have spoken to the manager as they look to appoint a permanent boss 
• They have failed to score for four successive games or win any of their last five

Chelsea have spoken to Sporting Lisbon’s highly-rated manager Ruben Amorim in their ongoing search for a permanent successor to Graham Potter.

Amorim, 38, was among the names Chelsea’s chiefs were keen to discuss the vacancy with in what they intend to be an ‘exhaustive’ hunt for a new manager.

Chelsea were already determined not to rush the process and the appointment of Frank Lampard on a caretaker basis has granted them further time and room to carry out a thorough search.

Julian Nagelsmann, available after leaving Bayern Munich, and former Spain boss Luis Enrique, also out of work, are two leading candidates with both having also been spoken to.

Nagelsmann in particular is believed to have influential support among the Chelsea hierarchy.

Chelsea are considering Sporting boss Ruben Amorim as their next permanent manager

The Blues have struggled this season and look unlikely to reach the Champions League semi finals after losing their first quarter final leg 2-0 to Real Madrid

Chelsea have failed to score for four successive games or win any of their last five

However Amorim has impressed with his work in Portugal and is back on Chelsea’s radar having been previously before Potter’s appointment in September.

Amorim has been in charge at Sporting since March 2020, following a brief spell leading Braga.

He has led the Lisbon club to a fourth-placed finish, their first league title since 2000 in 2021 and runners up spot last season.

He has also won three Portuguese league cups in his time at Braga and Sporting, also guiding the latter into this season’s Europa League last eight.

They lost their first-leg tie against Juventus 1-0 on Thursday, having stunned Arsenal on penalties in the last round.

In November last year Amorim signed a new contract at Sporting that runs until 2026 and has insisted he will not break that agreement unless the buyout clause in his deal is paid.

Meanwhile, Lampard has told his Chelsea players that they need to start putting in simple hard work to match their talent levels and end their goal woes.

Former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique (left) and Julian Nagelsmann (right) also remain in the picture

Results have not improved since Chelsea parted ways with Graham Potter earlier this month

Chelsea have failed to score for four successive games, their worst run in front of goal since 1993, or win any of their last five.

Caretaker manager Lampard, also the club’s record goal-scorer, said: ‘The only way to solve it is through hard work and focus.

‘The main thing that pushed me on [during his career] was my own desire and willpower.

‘Anything like that, if it’s collective, or individual, it has to be the work process and I’m a big believer that once you do that good things happen. It sounds simple but some things are simple.’

He returned to the fold in Lampard’s first game back at Wolves last week, coming off the bench in the 1-0 defeat.

Though Lampard was denied his services in Wednesday’s Champions League tie at Real Madrid after Potter chose not to register him in Chelsea’s squad for the knockout stages.

Aubameyang, who last started for Chelsea back in November against former club Arsenal, is set to return to Lampard’s squad for Brighton’s visit today, putting him in contention for more minutes.

Asked if Aubameyang could be the answer, Lampard said: ‘The competitive nature in the squad to get a place in the team needs to be high in every position.

Interim boss, and club legend, Frank Lampard insisted his side will only find form ‘through hard work and focus’

‘Everyone needs to compete in training and show they’re worthy of their place. History says he has a fantastic goalscoring record so, we’ll see.’

One player who has little to prove to Lampard is midfielder Mason Mount, who has suffered a dip this season amid a contract stalemate that has left his Chelsea future in doubt.

Lampard said: ‘I’m not going to tell anyone what opinion they should have on football but if anyone thinks Mason Mount is not already a top level player then I’m not sure what they’re seeing, in my opinion. Form is one thing that people can debate.

‘But you can ask myself, Thomas Tuchel, Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter, it’s clear he’s a top player. He can go even further but he’s already a top player.’

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