South American icon close to landing Chelsea managerial position

Chelsea are close to appointing Marcelo Gallardo as their next manager

According to Brazilian outlet UOL (h/t Mirror), Chelsea are close to appointing River Plate icon Marcelo Gallardo as their next manager after getting approval from Enzo Fernandez.

The Blues’ pursuit of appointing the next permanent manager continues after sacking Graham Potter last Sunday. Frank Lampard was hired on an interim basis to give them time to finalise the procedure of getting someone in during the summer.

Gallardo, who played for River Plate and managed that club for more than eight years between 2014 and 2022, is among the candidates shortlisted for this position. Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann have also been approached.

The 47-year-old has been rejecting job offers in South America as he sees moving to the Premier League as a natural progression in his career.

Chelsea midfielder Fernandez, who played under Gallardo when he was at River Plate, has already given this move a go-ahead.

The Argentine had a great record when managing Los Millonarios. He won nine trophies in eight years in charge of the team.

If Chelsea appoint the former Argentina international, it might be a slightly left-field choice from the usual suspects in Europe. We don’t often see a top club in the Premier League hiring a manager who has had no experience managing a club in Europe before.

But, Gallardo has been an excellent manager who has developed plenty of young players at River Plate, including Enzo Fernandez.

More Chelsea News:

• Frank Lampard on why Chelsea have been better in Europe compared to the league this season
• Frank Lampard reveals he would never take credit for Chelsea Champions League win in 2021
• Chelsea emissaries hold talks with emissaries of Barcelona star Gavi

We can only hope that whoever the next manager of Chelsea is, that person gets enough backing time-wise to implement his tactics and culture. The best thing the owners can do is not to behave like crazy maniacs in the transfer market and buy every one they wish to do so. It creates a lot of problems for the manager, like we saw with Potter.