Porto manager Francesco Farioli has distanced himself from recent rumours linking him with the vacant Chelsea job, insisting he remains 'really happy' at the Portuguese club.
Chelsea are currently without a permanent head coach following the dismissal of Liam Rosenior. Calum McFarlane has taken over on an interim basis for the second time in four months after a poor run of results. A humbling 3-0 defeat to Brighton, the club's fifth consecutive loss, proved the final straw for the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
McFarlane guided Chelsea to a gritty 1-0 victory over Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley and is expected to lead the team in the final against Manchester City on May 16. However, Chelsea's board are keen to secure a full-time replacement as soon as possible, and Farioli has emerged as a leading candidate.
The 37-year-old Italian took charge of Porto after leaving Ajax last summer and has impressed in his debut season, with Porto sitting seven points clear of Benfica at the top of the Primeira Liga table with just three games remaining.
Speaking after Porto's 2-1 win over Estrela, Farioli addressed the speculation: 'I'm the coach of Porto and I'm really happy to be here,' he told Sport TV before making a swift exit from the interview.
Farioli will hope to further quell doubts about his commitment when Porto host Alverca next weekend at the Estadio do Dragao.
Other candidates linked with Chelsea include Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner, and Cesc Fabregas, though Fabregas has underlined his commitment to Como. Frank Lampard has also been mentioned, but former Chelsea winger Joe Cole advised him to stay at Coventry City, who will return to the Premier League next season after a 25-year absence.
'Frank should stay away from it,' Cole told Paddy Power. 'The temptation for Frank, because he loves the club, would be to come back and give it another whirl. He's done a fantastic job at Coventry. Nobody would have backed them for promotion. He's got a real challenge to keep them in the league next season. All his focus should be on recruitment. If I were him, I wouldn't go to Chelsea. At Chelsea, you don't have full control over what you can do. That's insane.'
