STUNNING: ZINEDINE ZIDANE SAYS "NO" TO ENGLAND! THE LANGUAGE REASON THAT BLOCKED THE CHELSEA DEAL
Zinedine Zidane is officially not a candidate for the Chelsea job. Discover why Liam Rosenior is the frontrunner to replace Maresca.
Chelsea's hunt for a new manager keeps rolling on, but don't expect Zinedine Zidane to pop up on their shortlist. After days of rumors swirling around Enzo Maresca, the club finally cut ties with him on New Year’s Day.
Since then, all sorts of names have been tossed around—Cesc Fabregas, John Terry, and Roberto De Zerbi, among them. None of those guys are actually in the running, though.
For now, Calum McFarlane, who usually oversees Chelsea’s Under-21s, steps up to lead the first team this Sunday when they travel to Manchester City. Meanwhile, the folks in charge at Stamford Bridge are still weighing their options for a long-term fix.
As for Zidane, he hasn't seriously come up in Chelsea conversations. People sometimes toss his name out for jobs like Manchester United, but that’s about it. He’s been out of management since he left Real Madrid in 2021, and while rumours keep linking him to various roles, nothing’s stuck.
When asked about managing in the Premier League, especially at United, Zidane basically shut it down. “Would I want to go to Manchester? I understand English, but I’m not completely fluent in it,” he told L’Equipe this year. “I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently.”
Right now, Strasbourg’s Liam Rosenior is the early frontrunner for the Chelsea job, though there’s no official move just yet.
In the meantime, McFarlane held a press conference on Friday, talking about how much he and the team are up for the Man City challenge. “Ultimately, it's a football match,” he said. “It's not really about me or my first game or playing against Pep. It's about Chelsea versus City. Two top sides. We’ll go there and compete. We’ve seen this year how this team can perform in big moments. We're really looking forward to that challenge.”
CHELSEA LABELS 19-YEAR-OLD JOSH ACHEAMPONG "NOT FOR SALE" DESPITE LIMITED 2026 MINUTES
Josh Acheampong stays! Get the latest on Chelsea’s transfer stance, Enzo Maresca’s praise, and the Man City clash.
Chelsea doesn’t want to let Josh Acheampong go, even though he hasn’t played much this season. The club sees him as a big part of their plans, despite rumours that Bayern Munich are interested.
The people running Chelsea haven’t budged. They’ve made it clear – they’re not open to selling Acheampong for good, even if he’s only on the edge of the first team right now. Over the summer and winter transfer windows, plenty of clubs showed interest, but Chelsea considered him “non-transferable,” according to the Daily Express. Sure, the 19-year-old England Under-21 defender hasn’t cracked the starting lineup often since January. And yes, Chelsea’s defence hasn’t exactly covered themselves in glory lately. Still, the top brass believe Acheampong has too much upside to let go for a quick payday.
There’s a weird contrast between the hype around Acheampong and what’s actually played out on the pitch. Former manager Enzo Maresca seemed absolutely smitten with him after Acheampong put on a show against Legia Warsaw in April 2025. Maresca didn’t hide his feelings, calling him a future star for Chelsea and beyond. What stood out for Maresca was how Acheampong could slot into almost any defensive role, full-back, midfield, or center-back and handle it.
Clubs like Bayern and Crystal Palace have both tried to snap him up, only to get turned away. Palace saw him as a natural replacement for Marc Guehi, Bayern wanted more depth; neither got their wish. Chelsea’s decision-makers keep thinking back to those moments, like how Acheampong went toe-to-toe with world-class forwards, or that huge performance against Liverpool and his goal against Nottingham Forest. In their eyes, those flashes matter more than the short spell on the sidelines under Liam Rosenior.
The road ahead isn’t exactly clear for Acheampong. With Chelsea reportedly chasing an experienced centre-back after missing out on Jeremy Jacquet to Liverpool, and Reece James and Malo Gusto set on the right, his ability to play multiple roles might be the only way he forces himself back into the lineup.
Right now, Chelsea sit sixth in the Premier League with a big game against Manchester City on Sunday. Acheampong is likely to make the squad, but since January, he’s only played six league matches. Even so, the club just isn’t ready to let him go.
JAVIER PASTORE SLAMS LIAM ROSENIOR’S "UNFAIR" SUSPENSION OF STAR ENZO FERNANDEZ
Enzo Fernandez’s agent warns Chelsea over "unfair" treatment as Real Madrid rumours swirl ahead of the World Cup.
Enzo Fernandez’s agent isn’t holding back; he just blasted Chelsea’s head coach, Liam Rosenior, and the higher-ups, calling the decision to bench Fernandez “completely unfair.” Fernandez, fresh off a World Cup win with Argentina, got punished after saying in an interview that he’d like to live in Madrid someday. Of course, that kicked off a round of speculation connecting him to Real Madrid.
His agent, Javier Pastore, who used to play for PSG, can’t believe Chelsea took such a hard line. Rosenior made it official: Fernandez won’t play in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale, or next weekend’s key Premier League meeting with Manchester City. The coach said Fernandez crossed the line when it comes to the club’s values, after talking about his interest in Spain.
But Pastore says that’s just not right. “This punishment doesn’t fit at all. You’re banning one of Chelsea’s most important players from two really crucial games that could decide if they make the Champions League,” he told The Athletic. Pastore says Fernandez is an anchor for the squad and, in his view, there’s no real justification for such a harsh response.
All this goes back to Fernandez telling an interviewer he’d like to live in Spain one day. Rosenior saw that as a distraction and disrespectful to the club, but Pastore insists his client was just honest about his lifestyle preferences, not making a pitch for a Real Madrid move. According to Pastore, Fernandez didn’t ask for this, and even though he accepted the coach’s call because he’s professional and respects the team, he still doesn’t get why it happened. “He never mentioned any club or said he wanted to leave Chelsea, not even close,” Pastore added. Fernandez only brought up Madrid because it reminds him of Buenos Aires, with the language and culture. “He never said he wanted to leave Chelsea or London,” Pastore pointed out.
And the timing couldn’t be messier. The club and Fernandez’s team have been talking about a possible contract extension for the £107 million signing, but this drama just put everything under a microscope. Pastore warned the board that if they don’t reach a new deal by the end of this summer’s World Cup, Fernandez will start looking at other clubs. That’s more pressure on a club already juggling internal issues. Pastore blamed journalists for overhyping Fernandez’s comments, insisting, “He never said he wanted to leave reporters just twisted things.”
Fernandez isn’t the only one clashing with Rosenior, either. The manager recently had to deal with Marc Cucurella’s interview about wanting to go back to Barcelona. Cucurella didn’t get suspended, but Rosenior made it clear he wasn’t happy those views went public instead of being handled inside the club. So, there’s definitely more than one fire to put out at Cobham these days.
