William Gallas has instructed Chelsea's owners to resist the temptation to appoint either Andoni Iraola or Cesc Fabregas as the club's next permanent manager. BlueCo are once again embarking on a search for a new head coach after parting company with Liam Rosenior, who ultimately spent just 106 days at the helm.
Chelsea had hoped to persist with the man they hired to replace Enzo Maresca in January, at least until the end of the season, but called time on an experiment that has badly backfired in the wake of Tuesday's shambolic 3-0 defeat at Brighton. Iraola, who last week confirmed he was set to leave Bournemouth in the summer upon the expiration of his contract, is among the favourites to replace the outgoing Rosenior. Former Chelsea midfielder and two-time Premier League winner Cesc Fabregas, currently enjoying a stunning start to his managerial career at Como, is also prominent in the betting odds.
Gallas, however, believes a seasoned winner is required to transform the mood of the club and has championed the credentials of Diego Simeone, the long-serving Atletico Madrid boss, who would be capable of 'creating a dressing room of warriors'.
'I think it all depends on what you are looking for,' Gallas told Boyle Sports when asked who Chelsea should appoint next. 'For the long-term, you can bring in Cesc Fabregas because he is doing well with his club at the moment. He is young and able to speak to a young squad. He's doing a good job. In the long term, he can bring Chelsea back to the positions where everybody wants to see Chelsea.'
'If you are thinking about the short-term, to have success straight away, they need that experienced head to guide them like Diego Simeone and with his personality he can win things very soon with Chelsea. Maybe the Chelsea players need him too because we need to see more warriors and soldiers in the team after what they've shown us. I think you need that type of manager who is a little bit more harsh on the players.'
Whoever ultimately replaces Rosenior, their priority should be addressing the recruitment strategy that has ignored the importance of complementing promising youngsters with players with experience under their belts.
'I have spoken about the problem for many years and I think the people who are in charge of recruiting players, some of them need to be doing a better job,' added Gallas. 'They need to understand how important it is to bring experienced players into your squad, especially in your defensive line but also in midfield or in attack. You need experienced players in every line of your team. At centre-back, you need experience in the middle of the backline. As a centre-back, you need to have one player who can control, who can speak to his defenders, who can speak to his midfielders and take the pressure on his shoulders.'
