When Chelsea announced that Frank Lampard would take over as their caretaker manager until the end of the season, they basically slowed down all the rumours about who would be the new boss at Stamford Bridge, making it clear they’d take their time to find a new coach.
With the media now holding their horses, it’s possible to read more sober stories about the Blues’ hunt for a manager, and we get to see something very interesting coming from South America today.
The story is brought by Brazilian outlet UOL, and is written by Tales Torraga, a columnist who lived in Argentina and is specialised in Argentine football.
The piece is about what he knows about the future of former River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo, who’s recently been linked to Chelsea, Flamengo and Paris Saint Germain.
The first thing said is that the manager isn’t taking a new job until the summer. He’s enjoying his time off in Buenos Aires and won’t rush for a new work, following the over eight years he spent at his former club.
According to Torraga’s information, Gallardo is indeed ‘close’ to joining Chelsea. For him to accept that possibility, he was ‘already given a go-ahead’ from Enzo Fernandez, who he managed at River Plate and to whom he’s ‘practically like a father’.
The coach is turning down approaches from South America as he doesn’t believe there are new challenges for him there, and sees Chelsea as a great front door for European football.
UOL claims that Gallardo is a big fan of the Premier League and even thought of moving to the United States in this sabbatical year to learn English, but he ended up choosing to stay in Buenos Aires with his friends for now.
A few days ago, Argentine outlet Olé had also claimed that the manager is on Chelsea’s list, even though he was considered an underdog.
With things moving calmly at Stamford Bridge, perhaps this story from UOL is a proof that this possibility is gaining strength.
