Scott Minto has just shared the name of the manager he would like Chelsea to appoint next as the replacement for Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues announced on Tuesday that Mauricio Pochettino has left his position as Chelsea’s head coach by mutual consent.
He’s walked away after just one season in the dugout, winning 27 of his 51 matches in charge (53% win rate).
It now means that Chelsea are actively looking for their fourth permanent manager under these owners.
Scott Minto would love Chelsea to appoint 44-year-old manager
TalkSPORT pundit Scott Minto, who previously played for Chelsea, wants his former club to name Roberto De Zerbi as their next manager.
He’s made the quite bold claim that De Zerbi’s possession-based football is “purer” than what Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola plays.
In fairness, 44-year-old De Zerbi has certainly imprinted his passing philosophy on the Brighton side in the last couple of years, but he’s out of work after leaving the Amex Stadium at the end of this season.
Minto told talkSPORT (7:47pm, 21 May): “From a football point of view, I would love De Zerbi to be in charge of Chelsea, the way he plays. I have always said, he is asking his players almost to play a purer form than Pep Guardiola asks his players at Manchester City, so he needs a higher class of players, with the greatest of respect to Brighton.
“But I still feel that he would have absolute behind-the-scenes lightning going on with him and the owners, and I don’t see him lasting long either.”
Roberto De Zerbi is linked to Stamford Bridge
De Zerbi’s departure from Brighton was only announced itself on 18 May. He finished up in front of the Seagulls fanbase on Sunday with a 2-0 loss to Manchester United on the final day of the Premier League season.
Now, the Italian coach is already rumoured to be a potential candidate for Chelsea’s vacant role.
Maisfutebol reports that Chelsea consider De Zerbi and Fulham’s Marco Silva as their preferred managerial options right now.
It’s going to be interesting to see if De Zerbi is given the chance to join up with so many familiar faces at Stamford Bridge.
De Zerbi sticks to his methods
If Chelsea ramp up De Zerbi interest and bring him to the club, Blues supporters can expect to welcome a very precise manager when it comes to tactics.
In terms of most possession in the Premier League this season, Brighton finished fourth with 59.8% (FBREF). Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool were the only teams in the division this term to enjoy more of the ball.
Guardiola’s comments about De Zerbi back in October 2023 certainly makes for an interesting read amid current Chelsea links.
Guardiola commented on De Zerbi via Man City’s official website: “He plays [with] Sassuolo and teams who may not be considered the top, top, top ones, it doesn’t matter, [we] have the ball we are going to play, to play, to play.
“I’m a spectator mainly as a manager and I enjoy a lot watching his teams play, I learn, like it and what he does makes sense.”