KIERAN McKENNA is no longer in contention for the Chelsea job.
The Blues board are in the process of finding a successor to Mauricio Pochettino, who left the club after just one season.
McKenna - who led Ipswich to Premier League promotion - was an early favourite for the role.
The Northern Irishman took Ipswich from League One to the Premier League to become a hot commodity.
Chelsea were seeking a younger candidate for the role and McKenna was deemed the perfect candidate.
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But according to The Athletic, the ex-Manchester United coach is no longer being considered by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
It is believed McKenna is still in the running to take over from Erik ten Hag, who faces being sacked despite winning the FA Cup.
Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi are now in a three-horse Chelsea race.
The search is being led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart alongside owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
Maresca, who worked alongside City manager Pep Guardiola, is coming off a title-winning Championship season at Leicester.
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And the Blues board are admirers of his style of play but it could cost £10million to prise him away from the Foxes.
De Zerbi meanwhile is said to have impressed Eghbali and would cost £5m in compensation despite leaving Brighton in the summer.
Frank is an outsider for the job despite gaining plaudits for his work with Brentford as Chelsea look to announce their new manager this week.
