Ajax manager Erik ten Hag would be the perfect successor to Maurizio Sarri, according to journalist Julien Laurens.
The Chelsea manager is expected to leave for Juventus this summer, despite winning the Europa League, finishing third in the Premier League and also reaching the EFL Cup final.
A number of contenders are being mentioned should Sarri quit as expected, from Blues legend Frank Lampard to Watford manager Javi Gracia.
Ten Hag has not been as heavily mentioned, but Laurens sees him as the ideal man for the job.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he believes the 49-year-old ticks all the boxes, at a time when Chelsea need to make the correct appointment:
It’s a key time to decide what direction they go in this summer and with who they go into that new direction with.
I think Sarri will go to Juventus, so the new manager will be massive. They can’t get this one wrong.
Either they bring through their young players or they hope for the best and the transfer ban gets frozen so they can a bit of money.
They could try to go for Erik ten Hag at Ajax. His English is perfect and Chelsea have got this amazing academy, with players like Mason Mount and others.
You can always convince someone to leave, wherever they are. He might feel he’s taken this Ajax to the best of his ability, especially considering De Jong and De Ligt are going to leave, and probably Ziyech and a couple more.
Maybe he feels this is the right time to go somewhere else?
I’m not saying Chelsea WILL go for him or that he will say yes, but if that’s the direction you want to take, there’s no better man than Erik ten Hag to get all those young players through.
Ten Hag has earned rave reviews for his performance as Ajax boss this season, guiding them to within seconds of the Champions League football, as well as winning a domestic Dutch double.
The style of play that has been adopted by him was lauded worldwide and his stock as a manager has never been higher.
Whether or not Chelsea move for him will become clearer in the coming weeks.
