Chelsea are considering Steve Holland as a potential replacement coach if Maurizio Sarri joins Juventus this week, in what would be a blow to England Euro 2020 plans.
Gareth Southgate’s England assistant manager worked at Chelsea for seven years alongside the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte and is well liked among Chelsea’s decision makers.
He left to work full time with Southgate and England in 2017 and was crucial to formulating the tactical plans that saw England progress to the World Cup semi-final last year and qualify for this week’s inaugural UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
Reports in Italy say that Juventus are negotiating with Chelsea over compensation for the Italian manager, who won the Europa League for Chelsea last week and who guided the team to third in the Premier League. Chelsea have yet to agree to Sarri’s departure but currently, seem unlikely to stand in his way. However, they will need to be sure they have a successor lined up for what could be a problematic summer. Eden Hazard is on the verge of a £100m move to Real Madrid and though Chelsea are hopeful of suspending their one-year transfer ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, it may be that they have to embark on next season without adding to the squad.
Christian Pulisic, signed in January, has arrived but having a coach like Holland, with knowledge of and belief in the young players returning from loan would be enormously beneficial. More than ever, the job would be focussed on coaching, nurturing and motivating the existing players.
Callum Hudson-Odoi would play a much more important role under Holland, which might be a factor in him signing a new deal, with his current contract running out in 2020. Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori are all returning from loan spells after successful spells in the Football League. Integrating those players into the squad and first team will be essential if the club can’t spend, hence Holland being seen as a strong candidate.
