Chelsea board 'reject Jose Mourinho and three others' as Pochettino told how to save job

Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly been given an ultimatum by Chelsea bosses to keep his job at Stamford Bridge - and Jose Mourinho won't be getting his job even if he is fired. The under-fire manager saw his side hammer West Ham 5-0 on Sunday, boosting their hopes of European football next season.

The Blues now lie seventh with three Premier League games left, although will drop a place tomorrow night if Manchester United get at least a point against Crystal Palace. And Pochettino's side trail Newcastle above them by two points, needing to displace the Magpies to be guaranteed a Europa League spot.

And according to the Athletic, the Chelsea hierarchy have told the Argentinian he must qualify for that competition in order to be at the helm for the 2024/25 campaign. They've already blown one opportunity to be in the competition next season, losing the Carabao Cup final to an injury-ravaged Liverpool.

But if the 52-year-old does end up being replaced, then four candidates have been reportedly ruled out to replace him. The most telling name to be rejected is that of Jose Mourinho, who has been linked with a third stint back in west London after being sacked by Roma earlier in this campaign.

Watch all the Premier League and Champions League drama unfold on TNT Sports.

His first two periods in charge yielded three Premier League titles, as well as three League Cup trophies and an FA Cup win. Many Chelsea fans still laud the 'Special One' for his achievements with their team, despite him since taking charge of rivals Manchester United and Tottenham.

And he's not the only title-winning boss with the club to have been rumoured to be close to a return. Antonio Conte, who landed a top-flight crown with the Blues in 2016/17 but then departed acrimoniously 12 months later, also seemingly won't be given the chance to come back.

Ruben Amorim is another high-profile boss to be rejected. After taking Sporting CP to the verge of the Primeira Liga title this season, Amorim was widely perceived to be the frontrunner to take over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield before a fee was agreed for Arne Slot.

He's also held talks with West Ham, but duly apologised to Sporting fans and players for travelling to England and is set to stay in Portugal. Hansi Flick is the fourth and final name to be ruled out, despite his past credentials from his time with Bayern Munich.

Flick led the German giants to a treble-winning season in 2019/20, that included a Champions League win, beating PSG 1-0 in the final. In 2021 he took over his country's national job but was sacked in September last year following a poor run of results.