Chelsea are being urged to take a bold approach to manager Jurgen Klopp as they search for a permanent replacement following Enzo Maresca’s departure. Maresca’s departure was confirmed on New Year’s Day, with Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior emerging as the leading candidate to replace him.
However, former Blues favorite Joe Cole has suggested the club should consider luring Klopp to Stamford Bridge. The former Liverpool head coach has been absent from the dugout since leaving Anfield at the end of the 2023/24 season, having taken on the role as Red Bull’s head of world football over the past year.
When asked about his preference for a place at Chelsea, Cole told Paddy Power: “I know it’s a mental thing but I know Jurgen Klopp probably won’t even consider it because this is Chelsea and he’s Liverpool but you never know.”
“If your main goal as a football club is to win trophies and you have the money, you will go and talk to the best players. I know it seems like a cakewalk, but if you don’t have that idea, you always rely on developing the next best manager. That’s what they wanted to do with Enzo Maresca.”
“I have known Liam (Rosenia) for a long time. He had a trial with West Ham as a young player and had a very good career in the Premier League. His obsession with football is a good fit given the path Chelsea have taken with the last few managers. He is young and has something to prove.”
As Cole has suggested, it will be a tough task to convince Klopp to take charge at another Premier League club, given what he has said so far. Indeed, the German was clear about his future plans when he announced his departure from Liverpool in January 2024.
“What I know for sure is that I will never manage 100 per cent of any club other than Liverpool in England. That is impossible,” he declared. “My love for this club, my respect for the people is too great, but I couldn’t do it.
“I never thought about it for a second. There’s no chance. This is part of my life, we’re part of a family, I feel like this is home. There’s no chance.”
In a recent interview with Diary of a CEO, Klopp reaffirmed his commitment to Liverpool. “I said I would never coach another team in England, so if I were to come back it would be Liverpool, so in theory it’s possible,” he said.
“I don’t know exactly (what will bring me back). I love what I do. I don’t miss coaching. I don’t. I coach, but it’s different. I’m not a player.”
