By David Lee Wheatley
Ancelotti waiting patiently for Real switch
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Carlo Ancelotti informed his
current employers last week that he wishes to join Spanish giants Real Madrid
after witnessing José Mourinho’s heralded return to Chelsea. At the time of
writing, permission hasn’t been granted for Real to speak to their number one
target.
The special project embarked upon by the Italian in
conjunction with the rich Middle Eastern owners of the Parisian club has only
just begun, but Ancelotti apparently feels his leg of the journey is complete
having clinched the Ligue 1 title in his first full season at Parc des Princes.
Real Madrid have been linked with several possible candidates
for the Bernebéu vacancy in recent weeks, but many have since ruled themselves
out. Jupp Heynckes decided to take a break from football, while Rafa Benitez
decided he couldn’t wait around for the call and joined Napoli. Michael
Laudrup, meanwhile, seems reasonably settled in the English Premier League with
Swansea City. However, that would likely change if Real made an offer to tempt
him back to Spain.
If strong favourite Ancelotti gets the gig, it could set off
a musical chair effect all over Europe. Currently out of work manager Roberto Mancini
is in the frame for the PSG job should the current incumbent move on. However,
a rush of speculation surfaced within
the last 48 hours about the prospect of Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre
Villas-Boas joining the revolution in Paris and turning his back on what would
appear to be a stable job at Spurs.
AVB is a young coach with a wide array of admirers across the
landscape of European football despite his less than happy stint at Chelsea.
His re-emergence at White Hart Lane has certainly put the Portuguese firmly
back on the map as far as other clubs are concerned. Should he choose to give
up his role with the north London side, and the possibility of Gareth Bale
opting to leave the club could have a bearing on the matter, then yet another managerial
position would open up for potential suitors.
In terms of what Real Madrid would be getting if they
complete the swoop for the hugely experienced Ancelotti, he’d bring a level of
calm over the club that some of their more high-profile stars may well need in
their lives. After several run-ins between Mourinho and his players during
three turbulent years at Real, it would be a welcome change for much of the
squad to see the former Italian international take the reins.
A Champions League and multi-league winner, the former Juventus,
Milan and Chelsea supremo would possess all the credentials required to make a
success of the job. A double-winner at Stamford Bridge, Ancelotti was harshly
bombed out of the club by Roman Abramovich. In spite of it all, he got back into
work with PSG and transformed them into the dominant title victors we see
today. It’s surprising in some ways that he’s willing to leave Paris before
helping them reach even greater heights, but the attraction to Real Madrid is
huge and simply cannot be ignored.
Should Real finally get their man, it’s foreseeable that
Barcelona would have a gigantic battle on their hands to retain the La Liga
title next season. Ancelotti is the ideal candidate to take Real Madrid by the
scruff of the neck and put them back on top domestically and in Europe.
A decision is imminent and expect a mad scramble for jobs in
Europe’s biggest leagues once confirmation finally arrives as to the identity
of Real’s new leader.
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