"What makes him preferable?" - Richard Keys slams Chelsea's managerial search with incredible 'skateboard' claim

BeIN Sports presenter Richard Keys has questioned why Chelsea are pursuing Julian Nagelsmann as a long-term manager role instead of sticking with Blues legend Frank Lampard. The Englishman lambasted the west London outfit for considering appointing the 35-year-old German coach and aimed a dig at him.

Chelsea have appointed Lampard as interim caretaker manager until the end of the season after sacking Graham Potter. While the retired midfielder looks to turn around the club's disappointing form, the Blues continue their search for a permanent head coach.

Former Bayern Munich boss Nagelsmann and former Spain manager Luis Enrique are among the names understood to be candidates for the job.

The German boss won the Bundesliga in his first season (2021-22) in charge of the club. He was sacked during the current campaign and replaced by former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.

Heading out to train! 👊

#UCL https://t.co/QaR2Dln4NI

Keys is baffled as to why the west London outfit are even considering Nagelsmann as a candidate. Prior to the Blues' 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (15 April), the English sports presenter said (as quoted by Football.london):

"Explain this to me. One of the candidates is Julian Nagelsmann. What has he got that the legend that is Frank Lampard, the Chelsea legend, has not? A guy that knows the club inside out, that Chelsea fans think the world of. What has Nagelsmann done?"

Taking a shot at the German boss' age, Keys added:

"Okay, he won Bundesliga but he'd be hard pushed not to. Nothing else. What makes him preferable? Is it because he's German? Young? Rides a skateboard?"

Apart from the aforementioned managers, Mauricio Pochettino and Ruben Amorim have also reportedly been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

"What makes Nagelsmann better?" - Andy Gray agrees with Richard Keys on criticism over Chelsea's managerial search

BeIN sports presenter Andy Gray agreed with Keys' assessment of the Blues' managerial search. The former Scotland international believes Lampard is the right man for the job and has questioned why the club are pursuing Nagelsmann.

Gray said (via the aforementioned outlet's report):

"Frank is 44, he's got plenty of experience, he's coached that club before. What makes Nagelsmann better? I don't know. Modern-day owners of English Premier League clubs have a fixation with a foreign name, a foreign coach, that they're better, that they'll bring a brand of football that we can't produce with British coaches. It's nonsense."

He added:

"Can we not have a reason that Nagelsmann is rated better than Frank? Yes, he's won a Bundesliga title but you're right, you're hard pushed not to at Bayern Munich."

🚨 Chelsea reduce permanent head coach search from 5-10 candidates to a handful as process moves towards appointment in coming weeks. Race still open - no firm favourite. Ruben Amorim respected but not expected to figure in final stages @TheAthleticFC #CFC theathletic.com/4416917/2023/0…

Despite playing under three different managers in an attempt to find success this term, Chelsea continue to struggle to recover their form this season. Lampard has suffered three consecutive defeats in his first three games back in charge at the club.

The Blues are currently 11th in the standings, with only ten victories from 31 games in the English top tier this season.