"He is the perfect manager for them" – Paul Parker urges Chelsea to snub Jose Mourinho and appoint coach who could do 'big things' at Stamford Bridge
Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has urged Chelsea to favor ex-Paris Saint Germain (PSG) manager Mauricio Pochettino over Jose Mourinho in their hunt for a new boss.
The Blues fired Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge earlier this month. After replacing Thomas Tuchel last September, the former Brighton & Hove Albion head coach guided the club to just 12 wins in 32 matches across all competitions this season.
Since then, Frank Lampard has been named as the Stamford Bridge outfit's interim boss. The board, meanwhile, are lining up full-time managerial candidates, including some known faces like Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann.
Speaking to SpilXperten, Parker named Pochettino as the ideal full-time choice for the Chelsea job ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. He said:
"They should do everything in their power to get Pochettino. He is the perfect manager for them. Many were criticising him after he left PSG, which is miserable. That club is outrageous and if you're not winning the Champions League, you're going to be sacked."
Sharing his thoughts on the former Tottenham manager's time in London, Parker added:
"He did amazingly well during his time at Tottenham though. He got them into the top four, he took them to the Champions League final and the fans absolutely loved him. He plays entertaining football and he could do big things at Chelsea from next season."
Parker stated that re-appointing Mourinho would be a mistake, saying:
"The last person I want to see is Jose Mourinho and I don't think that they want him back for the third time. They are tired of his arrogance and they have to move on even... though it would be typical for the Blues to do something like that and hire him."
Mourinho, who has been Blues manager in two spells, is currently the manager of AS Roma. He has helped them lift one trophy so far.
Ian Wright tells Chelsea interim boss Frank Lampard to pick one star in his starting XI
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Arsenal legend Ian Wright urged Blues interim boss Frank Lampard to recall summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to his starting lineup. He elaborated:
"The last time Lampard was at Chelsea, I remember him liking Aubameyang. He will score the chances the Blues are creating right now. It feels like it's totally set up for Aubameyang to come in."
Aubameyang, 33, has been in poor form since arriving from Barcelona for around £10 million last summer. He has scored just three goals and laid out one assist in 19 matches across all competitions this season.