Chelsea: Poyet and Zola both worthy of consideration

 

With Rafa Benitez due to make a swift side exit at the end of the season, Christian Crowther reviews the case of two popular possible replacements...

 

As players they graced the Stamford Bridge turf together; a decade on both Gus Poyet and Gianfranco Zola are making serious headway in the management game with their respective Championship sides.

 

After a tricky spell at West Ham, where Zola perhaps bit off more than he could chew for his English managerial debut, the diminutive Italian now has his Hornets side buzzing.

 

Under Zola, Watford were making steady progress in the earlier part of the season, but since the turn of the year, they've shot right up into the heart of the play-off places with a squad embellished by loanees from Udinese.

 

Most notably, Zola has unearthed a gem in one such loanee, Czech forward Matej Vydra, whose 20 league goals this season have helped fire Watford up the table.

 

And despite losing successive league games for the first time since October, Watford are still third with eight left to play, just two points behind Hull and rated at 3.1 to finish in the top two.

 

Zola's handling of the overhaul of the squad which finished 11th last season has understandably drawn admirers and, given his legend status at Chelsea, he is always going to be a popular pick with Blues' fans. However, after his troubles at West Ham, Zola may be wary of making such a meteoric leap so soon.

 

Poyet meanwhile is fast becoming one of the most liked and respected managers outside of the Premier League.

 

He has a great grip of English and an infectious demeanour and, although he only has roughly the same amount of actual managerial experience as his old teammate, you could say that he has done more to earn his stripes.

 

Poyet started out as an assistant at Swindon in 2006, before moving on to Leeds and then Tottenham ahead of agreeing to take the Brighton job back in 2009.

 

He then achieved promotion from the League One in his first full season and achieved a tenth-place finish in his debut Championship season in 2011/12.

 

Poyet has been astute in the transfer market to improve his squad this season, blending together foreign talent with home-grown stars and now his Brighton side are sat level on points with choking Leicester in sixth.

 

The Seagulls are available at 1.89 to make it into those all important play-off places or beyond.

 

If Jose Mourinho is not interested come the summer then it should be no great shock if either of these ex-Blues get offered the Stamford Bridge hot seat.

 

It seems that no matter what Rafa wins or doesn't this season, he will have outstayed his welcome and those who believe his bread's already buttered can back him not to be there next season at 1.03.

 

However, looking at the way Roman Abramovich treated the last Chelsea legend to take the post, the pair are probably better off where they are, even if that's still the Championship.

 

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