Chelsea: Zinedine Zidane’s decision can help or hurt massively
By Travis Tyler
Suddenly, Zinedine Zidane resigned from Real Madrid. Chelsea are poised to benefit from the sudden decision, but it could also hurt the Blues massively.
A week ago, many would have expected Antonio Conte to be the next big name manager to depart a club. After all, Chelsea’s deal with Maurizio Sarri has been all but done barring a release clause payment and Antonio Conte was just waiting for the call. But Zinedine Zidane flipped the script by abruptly resigning from Real Madrid. This came just days after winning an unprecedented third Champions League title in as many years.
Now, just as the managerial merry go round appeared to be settling down for the World Cup months, Zidane set it right back into full motion. Chelsea, still behind on the last go around, are suddenly poised to be affected by Zidane’s decision. Regardless of what exactly the effect is, it will influence Chelsea massively in the coming weeks.
If Zidane’s decision is going to benefit Chelsea, it can do so in one of two ways. The first is Real Madrid will now have to scramble for a high profile manager. And luckily for Los Blancos, Antonio Conte is on the verge of being available. He was linked months ago and is one of the few managers (soon to be) available with the pedigree for a club like Real Madrid.
This helps Chelsea because it would take Conte’s payout off the table. If Conte takes a job before his current contract is set to end, Chelsea do not have to pay him for it. And despite reports that Conte would take a sabbatical and rake in his well earned cash, Real Madrid are a club that would easily change his mind.
Though Real Madrid are not as free spending as they were before Zidane, they would still be able to splash the cash wherever Conte desired. He would also bring something different to the table compared to Zidane. He would reign in some of the loose strings in the squad and add more tactical structure to their game. That could, perhaps, be the difference in La Liga in the next few seasons.
The other way in which Zidane’s situation can help Chelsea is if the Blues are somehow able to attract Zidane to the club. That is, of course, an incredible long shot. Zidane is likely looking at having a year off before reentering the managerial game. But Chelsea need a manager and could offer something unique to Zidane; a chance to compete against Pep Guardiola and to prove that his success was not merely down to the superiority of Real Madrid’s squad.
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Much like Conte would offer something different to Real Madrid, Zidane would offer something different to Chelsea. His profile as a player and manager would demand immediate respect from a Chelsea squad that is hard to impress. He would also offer a more laid back, arm around the shoulder approach compared to Conte. That would be like a breath of fresh air to some in the Chelsea squad.
And though Zidane is not the biggest proponent of rotation all the time, he has shown a keen eye for making game changing substitutes and a tendency to rotate heavily when the situation favors it. Zidane would give “B team” players a chance when and as often as he can, something Chelsea have not seen in recent seasons.
But Zidane’s decision can also be the worst thing imaginable for Chelsea. If Real Madrid decide to pass on Conte, Chelsea are suddenly at a massive disadvantage in every way.
When the Real Madrid job is available, they automatically move to the front of the cue for any manager they speak to. That means if Real Madrid decide to speak to Maurizio Sarri, the Blues will lose out on him. Chelsea would have to look at other options after they already wasted so much time trying to haggle their way into Sarri’s contract on the cheap.
Or Real Madrid could go for Mauricio Pochettino. Then Spurs would suddenly be in the hunt for a coach and would have both a more ready made squad and Champions League football to hold over Chelsea. They would also get a large sum for the newly extended Pochettino, giving them money to burn on a new coach.
Coincidentally, Sarri could be targeted by Spurs. Allegedly, the North London club already reached out to Sarri in case Pochettino departed. It would be the height of embarrassment, and well within the realms of possibility, for Chelsea to lose Sarri to Spurs if Pochettino goes to Real Madrid.
Finally, any new manager at Real Madrid is likely to signal a rise in transfers for Los Blancos. They will want to reshape the squad to suit the new manager, and every other club in the world will suddenly go to the back of the line if Real Madrid signal interest. Chelsea simply cannot compete in the transfer market with Real Madrid, making strengthening the squad much harder. The Blues could also see some of their own stars targeted.
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The coming weeks will show what Real Madrid’s intentions are. Chelsea, having already delayed the future this long, will have to wait and see what Real Madrid do about Zidane’s departure. The Blues will be hoping that it falls into their favor, but they must take advantage in that scenario.