Zinedine Zidane has ruled himself out of contention to become Chelsea's next manager, citing language barriers as the reason. The former Real Madrid boss, who has been without a club since 2021, told L'Equipe in 2024 that he is not fluent enough in English to manage in the Premier League.
“I understand English, but I’m not completely fluent in it,” Zidane said. “I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work in a different way.” The Frenchman has previously been linked with Manchester United but has not been heavily touted for the Chelsea vacancy.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's Under-21 manager Calum McFarlane will take charge of first-team duties for Sunday's Premier League clash at Manchester City. The Blues are in talks with Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, who shares the same owners, to become the permanent successor to Enzo Maresca, who was sacked on New Year's Day.
Maresca left Chelsea in fifth place in the Premier League, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. McFarlane, speaking in his pre-match press conference, said: “Ultimately, it's a football match. It's not really about me or my first game or playing against Pep. It's about Chelsea versus City. Two top sides.”
