Chelsea Focus: Top 5 Managers in with a Chance to Take over in the Summer

Chelsea Football Club will probably be searching for a new manager in the summer, as interim appointment Rafael Benitez is unlikely to be given the job full time.

Ex-Barcelona gaffer Pep Guardiola, the man with the so-called Midas touch, and Chelsea's long-term managerial target, was officially declared the heir to Jupp Heynckes at Bayern Munich only just a week back.

Losing out on Guardiola to Bayern must have hurt Roman Abramovich. The Russian oligarch is obviously a chap used to getting what he wants. Notorious for his lack of patience, the Chelsea owner never really was going to get his man this time, was he?

Needless to say, the Chelsea job is one where results matter more than anything else, and the presence of such a trigger-happy owner can only serve to deter top managers from taking up the post.

Yet a number of reputed coaches are rumored to be in the running for the Chelsea managerial post.

Now let us get to the point. Whoever steps in next will be expected to deliver instant success. If he can get the team to play flamboyant, free-flowing football, then that will certainly be a bonus.

I'd give Rafa Benitez an outside chance of being retained in the summer, as he can still salvage a lot for the club this term.

Rafa excluded, here are the top five candidates to take over the managerial reins at Stamford Bridge come summer.

5. Gianfranco Zola

Gianfranco Zola enjoys cult status with the Chelsea faithful, given his past exploits as a player of the club.

The 46-year-old began his managerial career at West Ham in 2008, and he steered them to ninth place in the Premier League. In the season that followed though, the Hammers only just survived the drop, finishing one place above the relegation zone, soon after which Zola got sacked.

Zola is presently the manager of Championship club Watford, who harbor real hopes of promotion to the Premier League. They currently sit in a playoff spot, and the Italian is doing a fine job.

Although he has been linked with the Chelsea post recently, it is my firm belief that he is not ready for a high-profile job like this just yet.

In my eyes, he still has a long way to go to prove his credentials. Here are the man's words on his present position at Watford:

"

To be honest I am more focused on what I have to do here. I know people have been writing things but my mind is completely on this job. I want to do well until the end here.

"

Is Zola to Chelsea likely? One never knows; stranger things have happened.

4. Diego Simeone

After his illustrious playing career came to an end in 2006, Simeone went on to manage a number of clubs back home in Argentina. As the years rolled by, Simeone forged a reputation as a top tactician.

Prior to his appointment as Atletico Madrid manager in December 2011, his only coaching experience in Europe was at Catania in Italy.

Soon after taking over, he led Atletico to a Europa League triumph, and then an emphatic victory in the UEFA Super Cup 2012, incidentally at the expense of Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea.

Simeone has brought Atletico out of the shadows of their cross-rivals Real, and they sit second behind Barcelona in the Spanish Primera Liga right now.

Just a month back, Daily Mirror reported that Simeone had entered the frame for the Chelsea job.

Can we rule this one out just yet? I'm not too sure. Maybe he'll bring Radamel Falcao with him to West London in the summer.

3. David Moyes

Having operated on a shoestring budget for a good ten years at Everton, David Moyes is renowned for making the best of the resources he has. Given how well Everton have done in Premier League over the past decade, one can only applaud the Scot for his good work.

Everton as a club are perhaps the diametric opposite of Chelsea. The Blues have serious financial muscle, but lack stability; it's the other way around at Everton.

And so it was a bit of a surprise to see him emerge as a contender for the seat that Rafa Benitez may vacate in May. This came right out of the blue.

I'd like to believe that an efficient worker like Moyes, if given the chance, can do real wonders in West London. That obviously hinges on how patient the top brass at Chelsea are willing to be.

Moyes has one heck of a conundrum here. Being an ambitious fellow, he may want to jump ship.

Then again, it's a revolving door for coaches at Stamford Bridge, so he should weigh the risks as well.

2. Jurgen Klopp

Borussia Dortmund have been a rising force in European football. With Jurgen Klopp at the helm they've claimed the last two German Bundesliga titles from right under the noses of Bayern Munich.

Although it hasn't exactly been smooth-sailing in the league this time around, Dortmund have delivered on the continental stage. They came out on top in a Champions League group containing Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.

Under the tutelage of Klopp, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze and Mats Hummels, amongst others, have emerged as world-class talents.

Klopp has been contracted to Dortmund since 2008. Given the time and authority to stamp his mark on the club, he hasn't disappointed. It comes as no surprise that he is now a wanted man.

The Telegraph reports that Jurgen Klopp may turn down the chance to coach Chelsea. Time is precisely the resource no Chelsea manager is ever assured of, and that will have massive bearing on his decision.

He has already been tipped to be the coach of the German National team one day. I'd have to say he'd be better off taking that job than testing the waters in West London.

1. Jose Mourinho

Could a homecoming be on the cards for Jose Mourinho?

The self-proclaimed Special One has endured a difficult season thus far with Real Madrid, where he has struggled to get along with the fans, players and Spanish press. Let's not forget that his Real side have drifted 15 points behind league leaders Barca.

He's still got a shot at the Champions League and Copa del Rey titles this term, but somehow I don't see things ending too well for him and his troops.

Mourinho always maintains that the time he spent in England was the best of his career. He still envisages returning to England and pitting his wits against old friend Sir Alex Ferguson.

He is believed to favor a return to his old stomping ground Chelsea in the summer, and I wouldn't be surprised if this works out. I really don't think there's a better manager available.

Is he ready to put past differences with Roman Abramovich aside? More importantly, is the owner ready to swallow his ego and admit that he should never have let go of Jose? As I declared before, stranger things have happened.