Chelsea ‘consider Ramos’ as Blues meet to discuss Mourinho

Juande Ramos: Shock name being considered by Chelsea

Juande Ramos: Shock name being considered by Chelsea

Juande Ramos is the shock candidate being considered as a potential caretaker manager by Chelsea should they decide to sack Jose Mourinho before the end of the season.

The club’s executives will spend Wednesday deliberating with Roman Abramovich over Mourinho’s future, with the discussions believed to centre on whether to dismiss the manager immediately or allow him to take the team for Saturday’s Premier League match against Sunderland.

Ramos, who won the 2008 League Cup for Tottenham when beating Avram Grant’s Chelsea in the final, is currently out of work after leaving Ukrainian club Dnipro last season. The Times says owner Roman Abramovich is “extremely reluctant” to sack Mourinho despite a disastrous run of form which has left the club one point above the relegation zone with nine defeats in 16 league games. However, according to the paper, Ramos has emerged as a shock contender to step in, along with Dutchman Guus Hiddink who won the FA Cup in an interim role for Chelsea in 2009. The Daily Express, meanwhile, claims Southampton manager Ronald Koeman is also under consideration. The Daily Mail claimed Mourinho’s future is being discussed by the Chelsea board on Wednesday, with debate centering on whether to sack him or give him the chance to manage the side against Sunderland at the weekend. The Sun, meanwhile, claimed a player revolt at Stamford Bridge could lead to Mourinho being axed, with a number of senior stars reportedly unhappy with the manager’s preferential treatment of Diego Costa.

The Times’ story, however, comes as a real surprise, although Abramovich was fearless when appointing Grant as a caretaker and also Rafa Benitez in the 2012-13 season, neither of whom would have been the choice of fans.

Ramos, for all his success at Sevilla where he twice won the UEFA Cup, would be a similarly left-field choice as his reputation has diminished after failed spells with Tottenham and Real Madrid.