Luis Enrique swerves question over Chelsea meeting with tongue-in-cheek response

05 April 2023 , 21:47

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Luis Enrique dodged a question about Chelsea (Image: Getty Images)

Luis Enrique gave a cheeky answer after being asked about his trip to London to discuss the Chelsea job with Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali on Wednesday.

Enrique flew in from Spain to speak to the Chelsea co-owners about the possibility of succeeding Graham Potter as manager. The 52-year-old is in the frame following a successful spell in charge of Barcelona and a three-year stint in charge of Spain.

Mirror Football understands he is one of the options being considered for the summer, alongside the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino, Rúben Amorim, Marco Silva and Xabi Alonso. The Blues are closing in on appointing former boss Frank Lampard until the end of the season as interim manager.

Enrique would not let anything slip as he returned to Spain, however. Asked by reporters how the talks went, he gave a playful answer. "I come from Formentera!" he said. "It is wonderful, a paradise island. If you do the haka, I will answer you."

In the meantime, Bruno Saltor continues to take charge of Chelsea after the rookie boss was kept on following Potter’s departure. The Spaniard was in the dugout at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Tuesday.

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But Saltor knows that he is very unlikely to be in the position for long, with Lampard edging closer to taking over until the end of the season. Lampard was in attendance at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night and has since held positive talks with Boehly and Eghbali.

Luis Enrique was in London on Wednesday (Alejandro Martinez Velez/Europa Press via Getty Images)

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Lampard has been out of work since being sacked by Everton on January 23 following less than a year in charge. The former midfielder previously managed the Blues between July 2019 and January 2021, winning 44 of his 84 games in charge.

He was sacked during the Roman Abramovich ownership but is open to returning under the new structure on a short-term basis. If appointed, Lampard could simply be keeping the seat warm for the likes of Enrique or Nagelsmann.

Frank Lampard was at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night (Jacques Feeney/Offside via Getty Images)

Chelsea sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are in charge of vetting candidates and are determined not to rush into a decision after a period of instability. The club started the campaign with Thomas Tuchel in charge before sacking the German and bringing in Potter on a five-year contract.

Potter lasted less than seven months, winning just 12 of his 31 games in charge. He presided over a period of flux, with Boehly bringing in a vast array of new players in the January transfer window.

Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League, 11 points adrift of the top four, following their goalless draw with Liverpool. They face Wolves at Molineux next up in the league on Saturday afternoon.

Felix Keith