One former Premier League manager could become an option for Chelsea if they decide to sack Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea could look at Julen Lopetegui should they get rid of Mauricio Pochettino, a report from GiveMeSport has claimed.
Lopetegui has been out of a job since leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he worked with former Chelsea striker Diego Costa.
The 57-year-old also managed Costa when he was Spain boss and is a huge fan of the player. “He has a big heart,” Lopetegui was quoted as saying about the striker by The Independent last season.
Lopetegui has also coached at Real Madrid, Sevilla and Porto so has been at some big clubs. Ruben Amorim, who manages Porto’s rivals Sporting Lisbon, has also been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea could look at Julen Lopetegui
Lopetegui is a manager who knows the Premier League and has worked with big players in the past.
He is out of work right now as well, so you can see why Chelsea would consider him as an option to replace Pochettino.
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However, would the former Wolves boss be an upgrade on Pochettino? Lopetegui does not have the achievements of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, for example, and is not an exciting up-and-coming manager like Xabi Alonso.
He has decent credentials, but there honestly does not seem to be much point in sacking Pochettino just to replace him with Lopetegui. That being said, if Chelsea do not improve, then some sort of change has to happen.
The Blues are currently sitting 11th place in the Premier League table. Pochettino has to take them into the top half and much closer to the European spots. If the former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss cannot do that, then he should be nowhere near Stamford Bridge next season. His squad should not be performing this badly; there is a lot of quality in it after all.
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