"He's a top manager" - Paul Merson urges Chelsea to hire Premier League coach who'll be in-demand | OneFootball

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson believes Chelsea should be looking to hire Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe as their next manager.

The Blues sacked Liam Rosenior last week after a dire run of form, just three months after he was brought in to replace Enzo Maresca.

It’s been a bit of a chaotic period under this Chelsea ownership, with the west Londoners also going through other big-name managers like Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Mauricio Pochettino.

Merson now feels Chelsea need to be moving for Howe, who he feels is likely to have teams queuing up for him if he ends up leaving his role at St James’ Park any time soon.

Chelsea urged to hire Eddie Howe as manager

Merson says he’s a big fan of Howe and thinks he’d be ideal for Chelsea, though the pundit also said he could see him being a future England manager.

“I’m a big fan of Eddie Howe,” Merson told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Metro. “If Eddie Howe leaves Newcastle, they’ll be queueing up around the corner for him.

“So that tells you everything. Be careful Newcastle. Chelsea would take him tomorrow morning, you’d like to think so wouldn’t you?

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“In my opinion, they’d take him all day long. We’re talking about a next England manager, 100 per cent.

“As I say, everybody would be queueing up to take Eddie Howe, he’s a top manager.”

Eddie Howe’s credentials

Howe has done an impressive job at Newcastle, and was also highly regarded during his time as Bournemouth manager.

The 48-year-old has twice guided Newcastle to Champions League qualification, while he also ended the club’s decades-long wait for silverware last season when they beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

It’s certainly easy to imagine Howe being successful at a top club, but Chelsea is a unique kind of challenge at the moment due to the ownership and recruitment structure.

A lot of good managers have found it difficult at CFC, and even if Howe might be a tempting option for the Blues, he might do well to wait and see if any other options become available.

Manchester United, for example, might be a better environment for him, and that’s another big job that could realistically be an opportunity for him this summer.