Much has been speculated about since the shock departure of Ray Wilkins from the assistant manager’s role at Chelsea, but who could and should replace him?
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The first name on many Chelsea fans’ lips is rather unsurprisingly Gianfranco Zola, who was voted as the club’s greatest ever player and it would be a pleasure for all to have him back at the club.
Zola already has had a fair amount of coaching experience after being assistant manager to Pierluigi Casiraghi for the Italian U-21 team – which they led to the quarter finals of the 2008 Olympics.
The diminutive Italian also had a spell as head coach at West Ham in September 2008 and quickly won over the fans after an initial shaky start. Zola exceeded the expectations many had about him in that first season at Upton Park and finished 9th (2008-09). However, the club struggled in his second year finishing just outside the relegation zone in 17th and was eventually sacked after receiving months worth of appalling treatment from owners David Gold and David Sullivan.
I would say Zola would be the most popular choice amongst the fans and may help to heal any wounds following the upset surrounding Wilkins’ departure, but is he the choice for the Ancelotti and the board?
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Many quarters believe that 42-year-old Paolo Maldini would be Ancelotti’s ideal choice as Wilkins’ successor.
The former AC Milan and Italy defender knows Ancelotti well from their relationship together as manager and captain. When the current Chelsea boss joined the Stamford Bridge outfit there were initially many rumours doing the rounds that suggested Maldini may take a coaching staff role at the club, but he reportedly turned down a job as he expressed that he did not wish to go into coaching. Perhaps he will have a change of heart.
Having Maldini come to the club as Carlo’s assistant could have many benefits as they know each other well and it is likely that Maldini, a former AC Milan captain, would more than likely be used to expressing his own opinions to Ancelotti. However, with no current coaching experience against his name it is hard to tell what his coaching style may be.
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Alternatively the club could opt for an inside appointment, with current assistant first team coach Paul Clement a potential candidate.
Clement has impressed during his two separate spells at Chelsea (separated by six year stint as Fulham’s Under-16 manager) which has helped him come up through the coaching ranks at Stamford Bridge (junior teams coach, U-16 manager, youth team manager and reserve team manager) until eventually becoming a member of Ancelotti’s backroom staff. Clement has also previously worked as an assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21 side, but relinquished the role to concentrate full time on his career at Chelsea.
Some sources such as the BBC are mooting that an inside appointment is likely on the cards, but to me that would make the whole Wilkins situation seem all the more bizarre as it won’t likely be an improvement on what we already had.
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There are a whole host of other names linked with the job of becoming Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant, but who do you think it should be an why?
