Chelsea next manager: Regis Le Bris 'truth' revealed amid Sunderland switch talk

Chelsea have reportedly moved away from targeting Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris.

The Blues are in search of a new manager for the Stamford Bridge dugout after sacking Liam Rosenior, who had just 106 days to mould the first-team plans before being relieved of his Premier League duties.

The former Hull City boss was thrown out of the club after Chelsea's shocking 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in the week, when Danny Welbeck came off the bench to be a thorn in the West Londoners' side once again.

The Club World Cup winners have now lost their past five Premier League fixtures without finding the net on a single occasion - their worst such run since 1912, highlighting the current crisis at the club.

Callum McFarlane is back in temporary charge of Chelsea until the end of the season, with his first assignment arriving at Wembley on Sunday, when the strugglers will face Leeds United in an FA Cup semi-final showdown.

Le Bris 'not a candidate' for Chelsea

According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Chelsea have started to scour the Premier League market for potential Rosenior replacements, however, there is a certain name that will not be on the manager's door at Stamford Bridge in the near future.

The report claims that Sunderland head coach Le Bris is on the shortlist of preferred options for the struggling Blues ahead of next season, but the Frenchman is supposedly 'not a candidate' at this time.

It is understood that the 50-year-old is happy at the Stadium of Light and wants to continue his 'ongoing project' with the Black Cats, who are looking to establish themselves a Premier League regular.

Following an eight-year absence from the top table of English football between 2017 and 2025, Sunderland returned to the elite division after winning the Championship playoff final at Wembley in May 2025.

Tipped by pundits and fans alike for a relegation fight, the Black Cats have defied the majority of pre-season predictions and currently sit in 11th spot, just three points behind seventh-placed Bournemouth.

Rosenior's Chelsea blues

Replacing the outspoken Enzo Maresca in the middle of January, Rosenior started his Chelsea reign with a smashing five-goal success at the home of Charlton Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup.

Apart from two meetings with Arsenal in the semi-final of the EFL Cup, the former Hull coach secured plenty of wins during his opening weeks in charge before the wheels came off in sensational style.

Leading up to his Stamford Bridge departure earlier this week, Rosenior had been defeated in seven of his past eight matches, only picking up a victory against League One side Port Vale during that wretched run.