Chelsea eye Girona manager Michel amid Pochettino speculation | OneFootball

Girona manager Michel is the latest name linked with a move to Chelsea amid mounting speculation surrounding the long-term future of Mauricio Pochettino.

The rumour mill went into a frenzy following Chelsea’s most recent 4-2 humbling against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge, leaving Pochettino’s future at the club hanging in the balance.

Chelsea have been appalling this season, to say the least, and Pochettino is lucky that the defeat against Wolves wasn’t the final straw in his awful reign at Stamford Bridge.

However, if there is no swift turnaround in Chelsea’s fortunes in the coming fixtures, there could be yet another mid-season managerial change at the club.

There’s already plenty of speculation predicting who will be the next Chelsea manager if Pochettino is sacked, and Spanish news outlet El Chiringuito TV claims the Blues ‘love’ Michel.

However, the 48-year-old is highly unlikely to land the job if Pochettino is shown the door.

Chelsea need someone with experience, not another experiment

Michel has done a remarkable job at Girona since joining the Spanish outfit in 2021. He guided them from the second division to the top flight in his debut campaign.

He led them to a tenth-placed finish the following campaign, and his side has been the talk of the footballing world this season as they challenge Real Madrid for the La Liga title.

Despite being nearly 50, Michel has only been a manager for the last seven years. He was Rayo Vallecano’s academy manager for five years before taking the first team role in 2017.

He guided Vallecano to promotion in his first full season in charge but was subsequently sacked, with his team 19th in La Liga.

He achieved a similar feat with Huesca, getting them promoted before he parted company with the club bottom after 18 matches.

It finally clicked for Michel at Girona, with the unlikely title contenders sitting second in La Liga, two points behind Madrid and six ahead of defending champions Barcelona.

Michel’s popularity has surged thanks to Girona’s mind-boggling rise to prominence, and even Barca are considering handing him the reigns when Xavi leaves at the end of the season.

Reports suggesting Chelsea admire Michel may not be far off the mark, but he lacks the necessary top-flight experience required to properly tackle the mess at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues need a proven leader – someone with a track record of success at the highest level to navigate the current turmoil at the club.

While it would be exciting to see if the Spaniard can prove himself in the Premier League, Chelsea can’t afford another gamble.

They took a chance on Pochettino – who is more experienced – and are paying dearly for it despite pumping a ridiculous amount of money into player recruitment.

If Chelsea cut the Argentine loose, they need someone with a steady hand to rescue the club, given they’ve been nothing short of embarrassing since Todd Boehly and co came on board.

Michel doesn’t fit that description.