Next Chelsea manager: Argentine with €11m salary demands wants job as talks open

Robin Bairner

• 5 Apr 2023 08:02 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are searching for a new manager for the second time this season following the sacking of Graham Potter on Sunday, and Marcelo Gallardo has put his name forward as a shock candidate for the role.

The Blues find themselves 11th in the Premier League standings, despite record transfer spending in both the summer and winter, and as yet it is unclear which direction they will turn.

Although former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is widely seen as the favourite, the club are keeping their options open and are conducting a full and thorough search for a new boss, with reports confirming that Chelsea opened talks with the ex-RB Leipzig boss as well as Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday.

Gallardo, though, offers an interesting left-field alternative following his successful spell with River Plate in his homeland of Argentina. Twice he led the club to Copa Libertadores glory, building a reputation as a coach to watch.

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He has been linked to a string of big jobs in Europe, particularly in France, where he spent much of his playing career at PSG and Monaco, but as yet no team has taken the chance on him, largely due to the fact that his wage demands top €11 million.

The Independent reports that Gallardo has put his name forward for the role and states that: “Chelsea are prioritising a top-level track record of working with youth, but are also prepared to consider some left-field choices as they seek to talk to up to seven names.”

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Gallardo to Chelsea a gamble too far?

With much criticism coming the way of the board following the failure of Chelsea’s season, appointing Gallardo could only be seen as a huge gamble due to the blame that would come their way if it were not to work out.

Equally, from the Argentine’s perspective, the prospect of him getting a fair run at the job unless he made an exceptional start is slim.

Gallardo to Chelsea appears a scant prospect.