The return of Frenchman Zinedine Zidane to the field of training is closer than ever, nearly two years after his departure from the leadership of Real Madrid, Spain, with which he achieved great achievements.
And the English "Football Insider" website stated that the Chelsea club management is seeking to persuade Zidane to take over the team's training in the coming period, to succeed Graham Potter, who only 5 months have passed since his appointment to succeed German Thomas Tuchel.
The site added, "The Chelsea administration viewed Potter's appointment as long-term, but there is increasing pressure on the American club president, Todd Boyle, in light of the English coach's failure to achieve the required results."
Todd Boehly and the Chelsea board are reportedly looking at Zinedine Zidane as a replacement for Graham Potter 😳 pic.twitter.com/S1kVFgz4iB
— Chelsea FC News (@Chelsea_FL) February 23, 2023
He stressed that Chelsea's desire is currently heading towards Zidane in the event that the negative results with Potter continue, noting that no negotiations have yet taken place with the French coach.
Potter is under great pressure from the club's fans, as the team records the worst results since 1995, despite the club's investment of about 600 million euros in high-caliber deals since Boiley's acquisition of the club in May 2022.
Chelsea are currently 10th in the English Premier League, and have won just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Bad results for Potter
And Potter became the coach with the worst start in the history of the "Blues" after the recent defeat of the London team against Southampton in the English Premier League last Saturday.
And the British newspaper “The Sun” stated that this defeat is the sixth for Chelsea out of 17 matches in which Potter led the London team since he took over the task on September 8, 2022.
In the 17 matches mentioned in the Premier League, Chelsea managed to win only 5 matches - including two in the last 14 confrontations - compared to 6 draws.
Potter has failed so far with Chelsea (Reuters)
The newspaper pointed out that the percentage of Chelsea's victory with Potter amounted to 29.4%, which is the worst number compared to his counterparts who passed through the club throughout its history.
In total, Potter led Chelsea in 25 matches in all tournaments, winning 9 matches and losing the same, compared to 7 draws, and his team scored 25 goals, and the team conceded 24 goals.
Zidane alludes to his imminent return
Zidane had recently confirmed his willingness to return to the field of training, indicating that he did not rule out starting a new mission before the end of the current season 2022-2023.
He said in an interview with the French newspaper "Le Figaro", "Now I have time to return, perhaps until June, but everything can go very quickly. Returning to training is my first desire now, and I think I have the time necessary for this task."
Did Zinedine Zidane leave the football world?
What is his new job?
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- Al-Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) February 21, 2023
Zidane, 50, has not supervised any team since his departure from Real Madrid after the end of the 2020-2021 season in his second stop, and he was a candidate to lead the French national team after the end of the 2022 World Cup in the State of Qatar, but the French Federation extended the contract of current coach Didier Deschamps.
During his training career, Zidane oversaw only Real Madrid, and his most prominent achievement was his leadership to win the Champions League (3 times) and the Spanish League (twice).