Out of left field! Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou emerges as surprise name on Chelsea's managerial shortlist

• Nagelsmann dropped out of race
• Postecoglou enters three-man shortlist
• But Pochettino remains frontrunner

WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues' list of four names to succeed Graham Potter at the helm was reduced to three late on Friday when ex-Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann pulled out of the running. While it is still thought that former Tottenham man Mauricio Pochettino leads the way, and Burnley's Vincent Kompany is also appreciated, The Guardian has now revealed that Chelsea are looking at potentially bringing in Celtic manager Postecoglou.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: According to the report, the Australian features among the Blues' three-man shortlist as he has garnered a reputation for improving players on the training ground while pursuing an attacking brand of football. Away from what looks to be a second successive Premiership title with Celtic, to go alongside two consecutive League Cups, Postecoglou also has some experience in the Champions League with the Hoops. They came up against the likes of Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig in this year's group stage and impressed despite finishing fourth.

AND WHAT'S MORE: However, despite an appealing brand of football and motivational tactics, the 57-year-old is yet to manage a club in one of Europe's big leagues, despite his World Cup experience with the Socceroos in 2018. As a result, The Guardian confirms that Postecoglou is the outsider for the role behind Kompany and Pochettino, who now appears to be in pole position following Nagelsmann's withdrawal and a cooling of interest in Luis Enrique and Ruben Amorim.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? The Blues have suffered four straight defeats to begin Frank Lampard's interim tenure and are therefore reportedly keen on getting a deal done on a permanent successor before the end of this season. As it stands, Postecoglou, Kompany and Pochettino are thought to be the three main names in contention.