Chelsea and Manchester United both like Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi and Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as their current head coaches are in ‘quite similar positions’.
That’s according to Ben Jacobs as he spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, with the transfer news journalist explaining that although Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag are not currently guaranteed to be replaced, they seem to be facing important periods ahead to save their jobs.
It’s not been the best first season in charge of Chelsea for Pochettino, so it’s perhaps not too surprising that he’s under pressure to improve quickly, with De Zerbi and Amorim both looking like they could be upgrades for the Blues.
De Zerbi’s impressive work at Brighton sees him linked with both Chelsea and Man Utd
“Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino are in quite similar positions. The aim of both clubs is to judge them at the end of the season, but each manager has an important stretch of games coming up that could prove defining for their futures,” Jacobs said.
“Chelsea’s owners have always planned to judge Pochettino at the end of the season in a two-way appraisal, whilst Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS want to be fair to ten Hag and take some time to assess him.
“Chelsea haven’t made any determination on Pochettino yet despite growing fan discontent. In an ideal world, they don’t want to make a change, so nothing is pre-decided. It’s true, however, that the club appreciates Ruben Amorim, Roberto De Zerbi and Xabi Alonso.”
De Zerbi or Zidane for Manchester United?
De Zerbi is not the only big name on Man Utd’s radar, according to Jacobs, who also says that Ten Hag could be replaced by three-time Champions League winner Zinedine Zidane.
“Manchester United also rate Amorim and De Zerbi. Zinedine Zidane and potentially Potter could be considered should a change be made. But Ratcliffe and his team aren’t actively interviewing candidates just yet,” Jacobs said.
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea and United make changes this summer after disappointing seasons, with some tempting candidates clearly out there.