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Leadership, experience, and a winning mentality. Three things that are missing from this Chelsea squad at the moment, and Wayne Rooney thinks bringing Claude Makelele back would help.
If BlueCo are listening to anything being said about Chelsea in recent months, then they know that they need to bring in some experience. Perhaps an older head that knows what it’s like to play for Chelsea.
It has been a mess at Chelsea. Liam Rosenior was given a vote of confidence, then he was given the sack a few days later. Chelsea’s hopes of Champions League football are pretty much over as things stand.
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An FA Cup final does now await Chelsea thanks to Calum McFarlane, but it is a plaster papering over huge cracks at Stamford Bridge. BlueCo need to get this summer right, and Rooney has suggested Makelele.
Wayne Rooney urges Chelsea to hire Claude Makelele
Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney was discussing Chelsea’s problems with Blues fan Rory Jennings. The Manchester United icon actually defended BlueCo, backing the Chelsea owners to get it right.
But he also said that they need to appoint the right people to lead the club forward. He suggested a role for Chelsea icon Makelele, having met him at a charity event and enjoying a glass of wine with him.
Photo by Piermarco Tacca – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
“I played a charity game last year. Makelele was there, I absolutely loved him. It was the first time that I have been in his company. We sat down after the game and had a glass of wine. I loved him,” he said.
“I was thinking at the time, with his mentality and his mindset, having someone like him around the place would be great for Chelsea,” Rooney said on Makelele, who hasn’t been involved with Chelsea since 2023.
What Claude Makelele has done since his retirement in 2011
Makelele is a Chelsea legend after spending five years at the club as a player between 2003 and 2008. A mainstay under Jose Mourinho, Makelele played north of 200 times and won the Premier League title.
The French midfielder, who literally has an entire position named after him, joined Carlo Ancelotti’s staff as an assistant manager following his retirement. He would remain until becoming Bastia boss in 2014.
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Then, he became technical director at Monaco before returning to the Premier League as Paul Clement’s assistant manager at Swansea City. Belgian side Eupen picked Makelele as their manager in 2017.
He would remain in Belgium for two more years, before returning to Chelsea in 2019 – 11 years after leaving the Blues as a player – to become a youth coach. An ill-fated spell in Cyprus came next.
Now, it seems Makelele is not currently in work but having a player of his calibre, footballing mentality and knowledge of Chelsea in and around the coaching staff in West London would be a superb choice.
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