According to yesterday’s edition of the Independent, Chelsea have now added Claudio Ranieri, Mark Hughes and Eddie Howe to their managerial short-list. However Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte remain strong candidates.
In a very related story, today’s Daily Mirror claim that Tottenham Hotspur are ready to offer Mauricio Pochettino a new improved contract in order to ward off Chelsea and Manchester United.
So there you have it, five leading mainstream candidates for Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich to consider as the long-term successor to interim manager Guus Hiddink. For what it’s worth, Hiddink endorsed Pep Guardiola to be the man at Stamford Bridge next year. Of course, everybody seems to think that Pep is a done deal to Manchester City.
In terms of outside the box candidates, as it’s still not too late to throw those names out there, what about Alan Pardew. We posited that idea here at this link.
If you want to “make this interesting,” here’s what Sky Bet has available for wagering under “Chelsea’s permanent manager for the first league game of 2016-17:
Jorge Sampaoli 11/8 | Antonio Conte 2/1 | Pep Guardiola 10/1 | Mark Hughes 10/1 |
Diego Simeone 12/1 | Massimiliano Allegri 14/1 | Manuel Pellegrini 14/1 | Guus Hiddink 16/1 |
Brendan Rodgers 16/1 | Claudio Ranieri 18/1 | Didier Drogba 20/1 | Ronald Koeman 28/1 |
Didier Deschamps 33/1 | Fabio Capello 33/1 | Juande Ramos 33/1 | Roberto Mancini 33/1 |
Frank De Boer 40/1 | Rafael Benitez 40/1 | John Terry 50/1 | Unai Emery 66/1 |
Jose Mourinho 66/1 | David Moyes 80/1 |
Some of those names, really? David Moyes? John Terry? Didier Drogba? Well, I guess no one really knows right now, so it’s all speculation. This should make for a very fun summer as we try to figure out which direction Chelsea will go.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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