According to the latest reports, former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is set to replace current Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge. The Frenchman guided the Los Blancos to three successive Champions League titles and could be joining the Premier League club soon if Chelsea decides to get rid of the Italian mastermind.
There was a lot of hype around Chelsea when Maurizio Sarri arrived at the club earlier last summer. The master tactician replaced fellow Italian compatriot Antonio Conte, who departed the club despite winning the Premier League a season before as well as winning the FA Cup in his last match in charge of the club. When Sarri took charge of Chelsea, there was an air of positivity around the club as the Blues looked to be in the title race along with Liverpool and Manchester City. Sarri also earned plenty of praise and plaudits from pundits and fans across the globe. His attractive style of football was admired and results were also proving that Chelsea seemed genuine contenders to win trophies under the 60-year-old former Napoli coach. Chelsea also made their way to the League Cup final and the Blues fans seemed confident that they had the right man at the wheel.
However, recent results and a blip in football have turned the atmosphere around Stamford Bridge quite toxic and Sarri is on the verge of getting the sack according to some reports. Losses to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal pushed Chelsea out of the top four and the West London club suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth which piled on to Sarri’s frustrations when he took a massive jibe at his players. Chelsea also moved behind former strugglers Manchester United on the Premier League table after a heavy 6-0 defeat to English champions Manchester City.
And most recently Chelsea was dumped out of the FA Cup by fierce rivals Manchester United at Stamford Bridge last night as even interim Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has tightened his grip on possibly keeping the job on a permanent basis for the Manchester outfit.
The Chelsea faithful have also reportedly turned on Sarri, who is showing his stubbornness and petulancy by not making any changes to his preferred system. Sarri is clearly under pressure and under firing at the moment and his job could be on the line if this poor run of form continues for the next few games.
One candidate who is reported to replace Sarri at Chelsea is none other than French legend Zinedine Zidane. The 46-year-old won three Champions League crowns as manager with Spanish giants Real Madrid and also win the La Liga in his two and a half year stint at the Santiago Bernabeu as head coach. However, Zidane has demands of his own and will take up the job at Chelsea only if he is given a mammoth fund of £200 million to lure in the players that he wants in the transfer windows. Zidane also wants an assurance that Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard will remain at the club despite interest from suitors all across the continent.
