Maurizio Sarri's time as Chelsea manager could well be numbered as there are already reports of the Blues looking around at different options. Earlier, it was reported that former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane could take over from Sarri, but now a different report claims that Zidane's team-mate from the triumphant French team of 1998 Laurent Blanc could be the new favourite.
As far as Laurent Blanc is concerned, he has the experience of the Premier League when he featured for Manchester United from 2001 to 2003 when it called it quits. The fortunes of Chelsea have nosedived this year and things went from bad to worse as they were hammered 6-0 by Manchester City this weekend.
Players not happy with Sarri
Also, there were reports about players not being happy with the way Sarri is handling his wards. Several players grumbled about not being able to perform to their potential and blamed Sarri's management for the same. As things stand right now, should the results not improve in the comings weeks, Roman Abramovic could pull the plug on the Italian's stay at the club. Blanc thus emerges as one of the strong contenders to take up the role.
As far as Blanc's credentials are concerned, he made a huge impression during his stint with Bordeaux 11 years ago. He was named manager of the year in only his first season and then went on to lead his side to 11 consecutive wins to finish the second season.
However, he has not had any team to manage and has been waiting for a big opportunity to resume his career. This break with Chelsea could just be the one he has been waiting for. One of his biggest strategies has been ball possession, a style which could suit Chelsea. He is also a man with ears very close to the ground and promotes academy and youth team players, which could work out perfectly for Chelsea, which has plenty of young talents coming through the ranks.
"Every coach is attracted by the Premier League," said the former centre-back "It is the best league and with the financial power that will still be the case for years to come," he told Telegraph a few years back and with Sarri's fortunes on the wane, Blanc's time could well have come.
