Does Moyes have what it takes to succeed Benitez at Stamford Bridge?
The West London club have already missed out on their number one target Pep Guardiola to Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich whilst the fans’ favourite Jose Mourinho is starting to become closely linked to Carlo Ancelotti’s job at Paris Saint-Germain, and winning a league title in a fifth different country would appeal to a man that enjoys making history whilst many believe he’s waiting to succeed Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Jurgen Klopp, my personal favourite for the gig, is also being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge but he’s in no rush to leave Borussia Dortmund and will be keen to pit his wits against Guardiola next season in the German top-flight. His countryman Joachim Low’s name pops up here and there, although I’m not much of a fan of the whole international to club management transition and it didn’t work out with Luiz Felipe Scolari, who won a World Cup, so why try it again?
Swansea’s Michael Laudrup and Atletico’s Diego Simeone also feature quite prominently in the odds of the bookmakers but I don’t think they’ve done well enough for long enough to attract the eye of Roman Abramovich, whilst the club wouldn’t want to subject themselves to the current ill feeling toward them after Roberto Di Matteo’s dismissal by bringing in Gianfranco Zola as it’s probably too big a job for him this early in his managerial career.
For my mind this makes Moyes, who has been talked about as a potential Ferguson successor like Mourinho, is an interesting candidate and many have wondered when he will get his chance at the big time as he has probably taken Everton as far as he can. The 49-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and won’t sign a new one until the close of the transfer window.
The Scot has done well with limited resources at Goodison Park and has a proven track record working with young players as well as having an eye for a bargain, which would be admired by those at Stamford Bridge as they have Financial Fair Play at the back of their mind and a plethora of talented youngsters like Islam Feruz, Josh McEachran and Nathan Ake, who are itching for a break.
Now, we’ve already tried something similar with Andre Villas-Boas and it became clear that the job was too soon for him, but Moyes knows the Premier League inside out, his disciplined style will command respect from the players and has proven he has staying power in a league in which managers change frequently.
I’m not entirely sure about the likelihood of someone like Moyes being given the chance at Chelsea but as Gary Neville says in his recent column, we’re running out of managers to get through and whilst we will remain a draw we may have to try something difference.
Would you like to see the Briton given a chance at Stamford Bridge?
