Former Chelsea defender, Graeme Le Saux, has advised Andoni Iraola to think carefully before accepting the managerial role at Chelsea, citing the instability currently surrounding the club.
The Blues are back in the market for a new head coach after parting ways with Liam Rosenior on Wednesday, just a few months into his tenure.
His exit makes him the second manager to leave Stamford Bridge this season, following the earlier departure of Enzo Maresca in January.
In the meantime, Calum McFarlane has been handed interim responsibility until the end of the campaign, while the club’s hierarchy take a measured approach in identifying a long-term replacement.
Reports indicates that Chelsea are considering as many as seven or eight candidates for the role, with Iraola emerging as one of the leading contenders.
The Spaniard is set to leave AFC Bournemouth at the end of the season and is expected to attract interest from several clubs across Europe.
Despite admiration for Iraola within Chelsea’s leadership, Le Saux has expressed concerns about the potential move, warning that the club’s current structure could make the job particularly challenging.
“So, I mean, I know Andoni Iraola well from my time in working in Spanish football when he was at Mirandes and Rayo Vallecano, and he’s a fantastic coach. What he’s done at Bournemouth is absolutely tremendous,” he told talkSPORT (via chelsea.news).
“But he’s a serious manager. So I would, if I was speaking to Andoni, I’d be saying, do you want to be the next one put into that mangle and spat out the other side?
“Because we’ve seen Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino have gone in Graham Potter. You know, it doesn’t matter how much experience you’ve got.
“You’ve got to align everything and give the coach autonomy in certain decisions and then allow the strategists at the club to build the plan, but not at the cost of what’s happening on the pitch.
“And I’m afraid when you look at what’s happening on the pitch, that’s exactly the outcome they’ve managed to deliver.”
