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12th February 2024
03:58pm GMT
Chelsea may look to a former Premier League winner as the man to replace Mauricio Pochettino should they choose to replace the Blues boss.
Pochettino have endured difficult season however the former Spurs man said he had been given a vote of confidence by the board in the wake of an embarrassing 4-2 home defeat against Wolves.
Before his side's FA Cup win against Aston Villa he said: "I received a very good text after the game against Wolves from the owners. We’re all together in this."
Despite winning that game, speculation about his future has continued to rumble on.
Names such as Jose Mourinho, Hansi Flick, Zinedine Zidane and Roberto De Zerbi are among the bookies favourites to replace Pochettino if he does leave but perhaps the most surprising new name to come into contention is Roberto Mancini.
Mancini was the man who guided Manchester City to their first Premier League title in 2012 and most recently beat England in the Euro 2020 final as the head coach of Italy.
The Italian is currently in charge of the Saudi Arabia national team but according to DAZN via Calcio Napoli 24, is admired by the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
In all honesty? Very unlikely.
While the Premier League may be an attractive proposition for almost anyone, given the fact that the 59-year-old has only recently taken over as the head coach of the Saudi national team, he would almost certainly plan on seeing out his contract there.
If they were to be successful though, time may be required if he were to get the best out of the squad and deliver success. Something Chelsea aren't usually very good at giving.
Mancini hasn't managed at club level since 2018 in which he had a brief spell in charge of Zenit St Petersburg in Russia. Such a long time away from day-to-day club football will require patience as he adapts from being a manager at international level for so long.
Ahead of their game against Crystal Palace, Pochettino admitted that he understands why Chelsea fans are not warming to him.
As well as matters on the pitch, Chelsea fans haven't forgotten about his spell as Tottenham boss.
He may have been very successful there, but rivalries are rivalries and if you're going to manage a side where the fans used to resent you, you're going to have to do a lot more than finish 10th and maybe win a Carabao Cup to appease them.
Having said that, the Argentinian knows it hasn't been good enough and vows to improve and get the trust of Chelsea fans.
He told Sky Sports: "I need to be honest with you, no because I understand they were winning the Champions League, they won cups, the Premier League. Why are the fans going to love me after six, seven months?
"We are in a final but we are not in a good position in the table in the Premier League. I think at the moment I feel the respect from the fans, I see them on the street and they all nice to me, but I cannot lie."
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