Chelsea need 'puppet' as manager - Nevin
- Published
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin says Enzo Maresca's departure was inevitable as managers coming back from criticising their boards "just doesn't happen".
The Italian boss said "many people" had made it his "worst 48 hours" since joining the club after beating Everton in December.
Early candidates to be Maresca's successor include Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior and Marseille manager Roberto de Zerbi, but Nevin believes it does not matter who the next man is if they do not play ball with the Chelsea's hierarchy and that the club will opt for someone "young and easy to manipulate".
"Not stunned, not shocked. Mildly surprised but no more than that," Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"Over the years, look how many managers have a dig at their board and then survive the next crisis after that. It is minuscule.
"As soon as he said what he said after the Everton game, I thought his days were numbered.
"I know how board members react - they can put up with anything as long as it's the manager taking the hit. This was an absolute stick-on."
Nevin added: "Chelsea need someone who is going to buy into the methodology. Another way to say that is you need a puppet. Someone who does exactly what they are told from above.
"Chelsea want success. They want the points to get top four or five and into the Champions League every season. But they want something else. They want someone who will do what they tell them to do. Those two things may not be compatible.
"Liam Rosenior sounds like a really good idea, but he's never done it at this level. To bring someone in who doesn't have that level of experience is a massive, massive chance to take.
"They will get someone in who is young and easy to manipulate."