Zinedine Zidane wants to come back to football. There is the managerial legacy of three Champions Leagues in three seasons at Real Madrid that it would be a shame to blight by underachieving elsewhere.
But at 46, and still with a passion for the game, he is not going to live off those extraordinary achievements for the next two decades until he reaches a more fitting retirement age. He wants a role somewhere.
After a relaxing sabbatical, holidaying in the Alps, sightseeing in London and watching his youngest sons play youth football in Madrid he is increasingly ready to come back to the game.
Zinedine Zidane might take some convincing to come out of his sabbatical to manage again
But with Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri on the brink, an opening at Stamford Bridge might arise
It could be that the start of next season is the right time. Chelsea could yet turn out to be the right club. But – as is the way with coaches who have no need to prove anything more in their careers – he is going to take some persuading.
He is not going to need a £200million war chest or a new five-year, £300,000-a-week contract for Eden Hazard. He’s been out of football for a while but he hasn’t been on the moon.
He knows, as most people in football do, that Roman Abramovich’s interest in football and Chelsea is currently at an all-time low – the club’s owner is unlikely to go from not turning up for matches this season, to investing more than he’s ever done, next.
But Chelsea will need to massively improve on last summer’s recruitment. Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Kepa Arrizabalaga might have satisfied Sarri but they will not be enough for Zidane. Sarri was glad to be given the chance to manage a Premier League heavyweight; Zidane doesn’t need anyone to ‘give him a chance’.
Zidane won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and is eager for a return
If Eden Hazard moves from Chelsea, Zidane would need to bring someone in to replace him
Sarri was, and maybe still is, so convinced
