Who will be the next Chelsea manager? That is the question most fans want to know the answer to as soon as possible. Calum McFarlane is the interim boss until the end of the season and he has done well to guide them to the FA Cup final, thanks to the 1-0 victory over Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley at the weekend.
Manchester City await them in the FA Cup final. But no matter how that game goes, it won’t determine their long-term future. Their next manager might.
Chelsea have been linked with a variety of managers in recent weeks. One such name is Francesco Farioli of FC Porto.
Farioli has his team sitting top of the Portuguese league table, even ahead of Jose Mourinho’s undefeated Benfica side. That kind of form seems to have caught the eye of Chelsea. But would the Italian manager be open to a switch to Stamford Bridge?
Italian manager openly confirms he will reject any offer from Chelsea
Chelsea are no strangers to signing managers from FC Porto. They brought in Mourinho in 2004 and he will go down as arguably the club’s best in history. They also tried to repeat the trick with Andre Villas-Boas but the results were far less successful. Could Farioli join that list?
Well, as it turns out, he won’t, even if provided with the opportunity. When asked if he could guarantee to Porto fans that, even if he received a strong offer from Chelsea, he would stay, Farioli did not hesitate.
Another manager unwilling to take BlueCo job
There are serious doubts about whether any manager can enjoy sustainable success under the BlueCo model. As a result, many might be reluctant to even take a risk. Just look at how that turned out for Liam Rosenior.
One has to admire Farioli openly ruling out any possible move to Chelsea. Most managers often do not do that and like to keep all seasons open, just in case. Of course, at 37 years of age, he knows he has time on his side.
That being said, it is not good news for Chelsea. It reduces their options further and it remains to be seen who they will eventually end up approaching with a concrete offer. At the moment, it is believed that a number of candidates are being considered for the role but no outright favourite has emerged.
