Thought Jose Mourinho was set to become Chelsea’s next boss? Think again.
Reports out of Spain suggest Málaga coach Manuel Pellegrini may top Chelsea’s shortlist to take over for Rafa Benitez when the Spaniard departs this summer.
An adviser for Pellegrini reportedly met Chelsea officials this week to discuss the possibility of taking over at Stamford Bridge. The 59 year old manager has coached at 10 different clubs including Real Madrid, Villareal and (currently) Malaga.
The Chilean is perhaps most well known for his efforts at Villareal where during his first season he guided the club to a 3rd place finish, qualifying for the Champions League. The resulting European campaign saw the Yellow Submarine reach the semi-finals of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, where they lost to Arsenal.
This year Pellegrini famously returned to the Champions League quarter-finals where his club lost at the death to Borussia Dortmund. The Malaga boss is a renowned disciplinarian, which may not go over well at a traditionally player-run locker room like Chelsea. However, he’s also known for implementing an attractive, attacking style of football that could burst to life with creative midfield players like Juan Mata, Oscar, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses. Pellegrini’s contract does not expire until 2014 although he is believed to have a release clause set at around £3.4m.
It was just yesterday, however, when all the papers claimed Jose Mourinho was set to make a dramatic return to the helm at Chelsea. Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has also admitted the possibility of bringing back Mourinho, saying “I am completely open minded about it.” In fact, the majority of the Chelsea board reportedly back Mourinho to take charge although Roman Abramovich is believed to have lingering doubts regarding the Portuguese manager’s exorbitant wage demands.
Abramovich also has stated that he will wait until Chelsea clinch a place in next year’s Champions League before making any formal offers. This fact will please Benitez, whose hopes of earning the Blues a spot in the Champions League football were boosted by the club’s 3-0 throttling of Fulham on Wednesday night.
Benitez is one manager, however, who is unlikely to be offered the full time job. After Pellegrini and Mourinho it is believed Abramovich is considering David Moyes, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone and Watford’s Gianfranco Zola as potential replacements.