Cristiano Ronaldo has long been a target of Todd Boehly, with the superstar attacker’s pick for the Manchester United manager’s job potentially having a role in who becomes the next Chelsea boss
Cristiano Ronaldo has already stated who his top pick to take over as Chelsea manager would be, with the superstar remaining a transfer target of Todd Boehly’s.
Blues owner Boehly is on the search for yet another manager after sacking Graham Potter on Sunday night. The Englishman had won just 12 games since replacing Thomas Tuchel, with Chelsea dropping into the bottom half of the Premier League.
That was unacceptable to Boehly, who has now wielded the axe over Potter. A range of names have been linked with taking over at Stamford Bridge, with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann considered to be the frontrunner.
But Boehly may want to turn towards former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique as a candidate instead. That is because Ronaldo championed his candidacy for the Manchester United job after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021.
The superstar attacker was keen for the Spaniard to take over, even favouring him over Zinedine Zidane. Ronaldo and Enrique faced off several times during their shared time in LaLiga, with the latter enjoying great success at Celta Vigo and Barca.
He led Barca to the treble in his first season in charge, winning the title again the following year and the Copa del Rey twice more before his departure from the Nou Camp. After a year out of the game, he took on the Spanish national team job.
Ronaldo championed Luis Enrique as a candidate for the Manchester United job following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking ( Image: Getty Images)
Enrique impressively led La Roja to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, though a disappointing exit in the Last 16 of the World Cup last year led to him stepping down. Even so, it is likely that he is still held in high regard by Ronaldo.
And that could play some influence over Boehly, with the American having been keen to sign Ronaldo both last summer and in the winter. Boehly has developed a reputation for making a splash in the transfer market.
Signing Ronaldo would certainly meet that brief, with Boehly having gone as far as meeting the superstar’s representatives as he pushed for an exit from United. The Blues owner sat down with Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes for talks last summer.
Though nothing came of Chelsea’s interest then, it is likely Boehly would still be keen to sign him given the Blues’ struggles this term. Ronaldo is currently with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr following an acrimonious exit from United.
While he is enjoying the benefits of having one of the most lucrative contracts in football history, Ronaldo has seen his new side slip behind Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League title race.
The poor standard of the league, coupled with the limited worldwide interest in it, could lead to Ronaldo looking for a move back to Europe. If that does happen, Boehly could hold a trump card by appointing Enrique as Potter’s successor.
Source: mirror.co.uk
