Chelsea FC have been handed a boost in their hunt for a new head coach after Como president Mirwan Suwarso admitted he would not block Cesc Fabregas from moving to Stamford Bridge.
NOP NIGERIA reports that Chelsea dismissed Liam Rosenior on Wednesday, placing Calum McFarlane in interim charge for the rest of the season while the club considers its options.
Fabregas has emerged as one of the names linked with the vacancy. Suwarso says the decision ultimately rests with the Spaniard.
“If that makes him happy, that’s him,” Suwarso told City AM. “You want your employees to stay with you for as long as possible but at the end of the day we don’t own him and he’s free to go to Chelsea if he wishes.
“Business is business, ideas are ideas. We have to see things in a way that makes sense, right? It’s common sense.”
Rosenior’s departure means Chelsea are searching for their third head coach of the campaign after the exit of Enzo Maresca in January. The club are understood to be considering up to eight candidates and plans to take their time before making a decision.
One of the leading contenders is Andoni Iraola, who has confirmed he will leave AFC Bournemouth at the end of the season and is attracting interest from several clubs.
Former Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux has urged caution, warning Iraola about the instability at Stamford Bridge.
“I know Andoni Iraola well from my time working in Spanish football when he was at Mirandes and Rayo Vallecano, and he’s a fantastic coach. What he’s done at Bournemouth is absolutely tremendous,” he told talkSPORT.
“But he’s a serious manager. So I would, if I were speaking to Andoni, I’d be saying, ” Do you want to be the next one put into that mangle and spat out the other side? Because we’ve seen Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino go in for Graham Potter. You know, it doesn’t matter how much experience you’ve got.”
Le Saux added that any new appointment must be given autonomy and alignment with the club’s long-term strategy.
“You’ve got to align everything and give the coach autonomy in certain decisions and then allow the strategists at the club to build the plan, but not at the cost of what’s happening on the pitch,” he said. “And I’m afraid when you look at what’s happening on the pitch, that’s exactly the outcome they’ve managed to deliver.”
