Chelsea tipped to hire current Premier League boss in move that ‘makes complete sense’

Chelsea have been urged to snap up Marco Silva in the summer, with Kieran McKenna taking his place in the Fulham dugout.

Silva‘s future at Craven Cottage remains unclear, who is yet to pen an extension on his contract which expires in the summer, and talkSPORT understands the Portuguese is a name under consideration among the Blues top brass.

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After sacking Liam Rosenior just three months into his six-and-a-half-year deal, Chelsea are once again in the market for a new head coach.

They aren’t short of options, with a summer of upheaval expected among the Premier League‘s managers.

This has already had an impact on the contenders for the vacant role at Stamford Bridge, with Xabi Alonso becoming a leading contender for the job as the club reaches the midway point in its search for a next permanent boss.

Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner and Silva are Premier League bosses being considered by the Blues top brass. Meanwhile, former Chelsea players Filipe Luis and Cesc Fabregas are outside contenders.

Fulham boss Silva has been frequently touted with a move to a bigger club having yet to decide on his future in west London despite reportedly being offered a new deal in November.

The Portuguese manager has been at the helm since July 2021, helping the establish the Whites back in the Premier League.

Silva isn’t the only manager who has recently been tipped for a new job, with promoted Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna also said to be on the radar of several top-flight clubs, including Crystal Palace, and Fulham should the Ipswich head coach depart.

But a deal for McKenna won’t come cheap, with talkSPORT reporting he has a huge £8million release clause in his current contract.

McKenna credentials questioned

Despite recently guiding Ipswich to a second Premier League promotion, talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor questioned McKenna’s top-flight credentials, with the Northern Irishman suffering relegation in his only previous season in the division.

Discussing McKenna’s release clause, Agbonlahor said: “I look at it, and listen, very talented manager, but he’s not Premier League proven. 

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“Last season he came up with Ipswich, spent a decent amount of money, didn’t work out, got them promoted again.

“I don’t see him going to a Premier League club now that he’s better than Ipswich. I just don’t see it.

“Maybe I’m missing something. I think he’s very talented in what he’s done at Ipswich, but he’s not had a great Premier League career as a manager, has he?”

While he raised questions over McKenna, Agbonlahor then suggested he could be tempted by a club with more resources available.

Naming Fulham as a potential suitor, the Aston Villa great said of him: “He’s probably thinking, ‘Is the squad strong enough?’

“Maybe he knows what money he’s got to spend this time. Maybe he doesn’t get as much as he did two years ago when they got promoted.

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“And if a bigger club comes available, maybe he does take it with a better squad already.

“Because Fulham are going to be maybe without a manager. 

“Marco Silva, let’s talk to him, might not sign his new contract. So there’s different clubs in the Premier League that are looking for a manager.”

The perfect move?

talkSPORT Breakfast host Jeff Stelling claimed Chelsea and Fulham could take advantage of circumstances, as he tipped Silva for the Blues vacancy, with McKenna taking his place at Craven Cottage.

Agbonlahor was in agreement, who insisted that Silva is just the man to get Chelsea back on track after a nightmare run of form which has seen them face a near-impossible task to qualify for the Champions League.

He said: “I actually said this exactly, and I was getting Chelsea fans saying, ‘How dare you!’ 

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“I’m saying to myself, ‘Marco Silva is the perfect character that these big time Charlies at Chelsea need’.

“The way they’ve got rid of Rosenior, they’ll do it to a soft manager that comes in. They need a hard hitting manager.

“Marco Silva doesn’t take any nonsense, Jeff. We’ve seen him on the sidelines, similar to Antonio Conte’s sort of style. 

“He will go into that football club Chelsea in pre-season, sort them out. [He will work out] who’s on side, who’s going to work hard, who’s going to follow runners, who’s going to run?”

Chelsea’s players have frequently had their effort levels questioned in recent months, and Agbonlahor called on Silva’s strong leadership to drive the standards back up at Stamford Bridge.

The talkSPORT pundit continued: “How many games this season have Chelsea been outrun? That’s incredible. That’s the most embarrassing stat for a manager, if your team isn’t running. 

“When I was finishing football, Jeff, players were being played because they could run more than players that are probably technically better.

“So to see that from Chelsea, they need a hard manager like Marco Silva going in there.”