Luis Enrique returned this Wednesday from London after negotiating with Chelsea to have the possibility of becoming the new coach of rival Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. After the dismissal of Graham Potter last Sunday and the Spanish Bruno Saltor being named temporary replacement, Chelsea could soon finalize the incorporation of the former Spanish coach, who made a lightning trip back and forth to the English capital after the interest shown by the club ‘blue’.
Chelsea, currently ranked eleventh in the Premier, 11 points away from European competition, is now studying to hire Luis Enrique or the German Julian Nagelsman, recently dismissed by Bayern Munich and in whom PSG has also been interested. After being dismissed as coach of La Roja after the World Cup in Qatar, Luis Enrique’s desire has always been to train in England and now he has had the opportunity to lead one of the greats of British football.
Chelsea will face Real Madrid at the Bernabéu next Wednesday the 12th and, if he is already signed by the ‘bleu’ entity, Luis Enrique could make his debut precisely at the white coliseum. The quarterfinal round of the top European competition will be held at Stanford Bridge on April 18.
The Asturian coach met with the president of Chelsea, Todd Boehly, listened to the club’s offer and is a firm candidate to take over the London team’s bench for at least the remainder of the season and the next. Chelsea have also sounded out Julian Nagelsmann and the German and Spanish are the main options, although the name of Frank Lampard has also emerged as a possible coach-bridge.
This season, so far from the European positions and eliminated from the two English Cups, the Champions League is the only option for Chelsea, who is betting on the experience and personality of Luis Enrique to revive the club. The man from Gijón would have Joao Félix under his command at Chelsea, on loan from Atlético to the English club after being pushed to leave the rojiblanca entity due to his bad relationship with Diego Pablo Simeone.
«Luis Enrique has managed to transmit to the Chelsea leaders a clear vision of the team. The 52-year-old coach explained his plan to establish a high-intensity system at Stamford Bridge, eager to use the young players from the Chelsea squad, “said The Independent newspaper regarding the Asturian coach’s intentions.