Richard Keys believes Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly should appoint Jose Mourinho to replace Graham Potter to get the fans excited again.
Following the defeat to last-placed Southampton on Saturday, the possible end to Potter’s short stint at Chelsea has understandably become a hot topic.
The Chelsea ownership group sacked Thomas Tuchel earlier this season despite his success, so it is safe to say that despite the talks of the long-term plans, Potter is not untouchable.
If Chelsea decided to fire Potter, there are several out-of-work managers, including Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane, whom they could consider as a replacement.
However, Keys believes appointing Mourinho would help the new owners get on the supporters’ good side.
“Mourinho is a former Chelsea manager, enormously popular with the crowd, and the most successful individual the club have ever appointed,” Keys told beIN SPORTS.
“He’s a populist, [Todd] Boehly, he wants to give [the Chelsea fans] something to get excited about.
“The experiment with Potter has failed miserably, so that’s got to change.
“‘What do I do now? I need a Get Out of Jail Free card — Mourinho.”
As Keys said, Mourinho, who led Chelsea to three Premier League titles, is a popular figure among Chelsea fans.
A recent report from The Daily Mail also suggested that the Portuguese manager would be interested in a Stamford Bridge return, so convincing him to abandon his role at AS Roma might not be a problem.
Mourinho, however, is not exactly the type of manager you want for a long-term project.
If the Chelsea owners wanted someone who could help the club win trophies in the short term, they would likely not have replaced Tuchel in the first place.
And for now, the Chelsea board have reportedly not given up on Potter.
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