Silva linked with the Chelsea job in today's papers. Sunday Times:
Chelsea may turn to Silva as caretaker if Conte goes
matt hughes, football notebook
Marco Silva could become a surprise contender if Chelsea find themselves in need of a caretaker manager to take over this season with the former Watford coach known to be admired by Marina Granovskaia, the club’s influential director.
Chelsea are planning to stick with Antonio Conte for the rest of the campaign, but may be forced to reconsider if the team’s results remain poor and their prospects of finishing in the top four are seriously threatened, in which case their options for a caretaker manager would be severely limited.
There is no one at Stamford Bridge who could do the job as all of Conte’s backroom staff would leave with him, while Chelsea are conscious that Guus Hiddink was less successful in his second period as caretaker and that most of the players with whom he forged a strong bond in his first spell have left the club.
None of Chelsea’s leading targets to replace Conte in the long term, such as Luis Enrique, the former Barcelona coach, would want to take over mid-season so the club are considering other options.
Silva is understood to have attracted Granovskaia’s attention this season after his excellent start at Watford, although his stock has fallen since being dismissed by the club last month.
The 40-year-old is renowned for being an impact manager who can galvanise underperforming players however, and, given his availability and fierce ambition, would relish the chance to restore his reputation, even in a short-term appointment.
The Portuguese has the same agent as André Villas-Boas, the former Chelsea head coach. Carlos Gonçalves is well known to the club’s power brokers.
