Chelsea’s search for a replacement for Andre Villas-Boas will not interfere with England’s own search for a manager to replace Fabio Capello, according to ESPN.
Names such as Harry Redknapp, currently of Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona Coach Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid manager and former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho have been linked to both positions, with Redknapp the favourite to become the next England manager and Mourinho the favourite to take the vacancy at Stamford Bridge.
FA chairman David Bernstein, part of the four-man team that will name a successor to Capello, said: “[The England] position is so unique… I am not sure if [other clubs searching for managers] helps or hinders.”
Stuart Pearce is currently in caretaker charge of the national team, presiding over a 3-2 defeat against the Netherlands last month, but the England U-21 Coach and manager of Team GB’s football squad for the London Olympics has ruled himself out of the running to replace Capello long-term. Roberto Di Matteo was appointed interim Chelsea manager after the sacking of Villas-Boas and faces his first game at the helm tonight as Chelsea play Birmingham City in the FA Cup. Di Matteo’s first Premier League fixture in charge will come this weekend, when Stoke City travel to London.
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