According to reports from the Belfast Telegraph, former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has been tipped to take the Chelsea hot seat on an interim basis if Jose Mourinho is sacked.
Eleven points behind pace-setters Manchester City after incurring eight defeats across all competitions, Chelsea’s Premier League title defence is already over and rumour has it Mourinho will be fighting for his job if the Blues lose at home to Liverpool this weekend.
The likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink and Diego Simeone have all been mooted as potential successors but the Belfast Telegraph but another, more surprising name in the frame – former Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, who apparently could be hired on an interim basis after being relieved from his Anfield duties earlier this month.
Fans will get a worrying sense of deja vu; Roman Abramovich controversially hired former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez under the title ‘interim’ in 2012 after sacking Roberto Di Matteo.
But there is perhaps a little more logic behind the Belfast Telegraph’s report than immediately assumed. Rodgers worked as youth team coach and reserve team manager during Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea and is still highly thought of by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy. Over the last few days, that has seen his odds slashed from 20/1 to 7/1.
Fichajes via The Metro, meanwhile, have made an even more audacious claim – a shock return to west London for Andre Villas-Boas. Abramovich paid £13.2million to release the Portuguese from his Porto contract in 2011 but sacked him just 9 months later after winning under half of his 40 games in charge.
The Spanish publication claim the 38 year-old, who lead Zenit St. Petersburg to a top flight title in Russia last season, is also on the Chelsea owner’s shortlist.