Three men that could replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has come under much scrutiny in recent weeks and months, as Blues fans appear to be fed up with his style of football and poor, embarrassing results.

In their loss against Manchester United in the FA Cup, supporters were heard singing “f**k Sarri-ball” and “You don’t know what you’re doing” as they displayed their discontent with the current management team.

This comes during a run which has seen Chelsea lose three of their last four domestic outings, conceding twelve goals during that time and their solitary victory coming versus bottom side Huddersfield Town.

So, after being beaten 4-0 by Bournemouth, 6-0 at Manchester City and eliminated from the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge by Manchester United, it seems that the Chelsea faithful have had enough, and that begs the question of who Roman Abramovich would bring in.

The former Real Madrid manager is one of the most well-known individuals in football and has continued to be successful off the field ever since his introduction to management.

Zidane led Real Madrid to three successive Champions League wins from 2016 to 2018 and has managed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos, some of the finest players in their respective positions.

Manchester United were heavily linked with Zidane before the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager and the Red Devils could still make a move for him if they decide against keeping the Norwegian at the helm despite his side’s current good form.

Zizou has not returned to management since leaving Madrid following their Champions League victory against Liverpool in May, and if Chelsea have plans to hire him they must act quickly as there is no doubt that Europe’s elite will be chasing him this summer.

Laurent Blanc has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016 and the board at Chelsea are reported to have his name on a shortlist of candidates they would like to bring in, should they decide to sack Sarri.

The 53-year-old would likely refuse an offer on a temporary basis, but should he be offered a more permanent role there is a possibility we could see the former Manchester United player make his comeback to management at Stamford Bridge.

Blanc has proven himself to be a serial winner as manager, particularly domestically, winning Ligue 1 three times with PSG and once with Bordeaux while also earning silverware in the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue a combined six times.

He is expected to take over as manager somewhere soon, and according to some reports he is interested in working for a Premier League club, so Chelsea might just be the destination for the World Cup winner of 1998.

Perhaps a surprising candidate, Frank Lampard’s name has apparently been spoken of during the Chelsea board’s conversations regarding the managers position and with the former midfielder enjoying a good spell at Derby County he may well find himself being forced to make a decision.

His side are placed two points from the play-off spots in the Championship and look set to battle for promotion right to the end, evidence proving that he deserves to be taken seriously as a boss.

However, Lampard has made it clear that he is solely focused on his current club, saying of Chelsea and Sarri, “It’s certainly a club I respect and a manager that I respect so it wouldn’t make me smile or anything different because my job is here.”

Rams fans might believe they can rest easy due to these quotes, but whether Lampard could deny the opportunity to take over at a club with whom he has such an affinity with if the interest continues into the summer remains to be seen.

Whoever Chelsea decide to appoint as the successor to Maurizio Sarri, if they do indeed sack the 60-year-old, will need time to implement their ideas, time which Sarri may feel he has not been given.

The club appear to be stuck in a cycle of becoming agitated with a managers style of play and losing patience due to negative results, resulting in the two parting ways regardless of the success they may have had together in the season’s previous.

The only way for Chelsea to put an end to this recurring story of unrest amongst fans and the staff is to hire someone who will be given the time, but can also maintain a certain level of performance while implementing their tactics and preferred vision for the team, a quality which most managers simply do not possess.