It’s times like this where the Chelsea insiders with the god connections really come to the fore – and this week the Daily Telegraph’s Matt Law has been really feasting.
This afternoon he’s dropped an interesting update on the runners and riders to be the new Blues boss.
The shortlist looked to be down to 3 main candidates – Thomas Frank, Kieran McKenna and Enzo Maresca. But Law has pointed out that former Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi “has not yet been ruled out,” and could even the “mystery name” fourth option we’ve heard so much about in the last 24 hours.
Law also adds that it would still cost Chelsea £5m to appoint the Italian – less than it would cost to sign Maresca, it should be noted. His possession based football is certainly in line with the briefs about what the sporting directors are looking for. But there’s an obvious issue:
“De Zerbi would have to demonstrate that he could work within Chelsea’s club structure, with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, to stand any chance of getting the job,” as Law puts it.
A crazy idea to even consider
Would Roberto De Zerbi be a good choice? Regardless what you think the answer to that question is, he would certainly be a crazy choice. He goes totally against what the sporting directors are briefing they want. If the cuddly Mauricio Pochettino is too hot headed and demanding for your tastes, just imagine what the situation would be like with De Zerbi. He’s notoriously difficult and even managed to fall out with Brighton’s hierarchy to the point that they’re happy to let him walk away this summer.
To appoint him would be a pretty farcical undermining of the whole logic of removing Pochettino just as he started to get some results – but just because it would be stupid doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
