As things stand, we’ve had Max Allegri, Luis Enrique, Maurizio Sarri and Carlo Ancelotti all seriously linked with the Chelsea job (and probably a few more), but never Leonardo Jardim.
Well, that’s just changed thanks to Le10 Sport, who claim the Portuguese manager is indeed on the Blues’ shortlist to replace Antonio Conte at the end of the season.
Despite struggling to repeat last year’s heroics with Monaco after last summer’s brain drain, Jardim has still managed to keep his side competitive, and his stock on the managerial market remains quite high.
However, the French website make it clear the 43-year-old is not top of Chelsea’s list, and bringing in a new manager remains a complicated affair for Roman Abramovich, thanks to the amount he would have to pay Conte if he were to sack him.
The Italian manager is said to want all of his due money, and will not accept a reduced package, meaning everything is ‘at a standstill’ when it comes to finding his successor.
With just one game left this season, there’s a good chance we’ll see some movement at some point next week.
Either Conte will get sacked or it will be announced he’s staying on for an extra year.
If it’s the former, let the games begin!
