Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makélélé could be on the verge of returning to British football after he suddenly resigned from his most recent managerial post.
The 51-year-old was put in charge of Greek Super League side Asteras Tripolis only last month, but stepped down last week after just three matches in the dugout.
The Frenchman cited interference in his team selection from the club hierarchy as the reason for his resignation in an interview with London World.
“They promised me full control of the team. It was my decision who played or didn’t play. Transfers were not my responsibility,” Makélélé said.
“If you want to sack me because the results are not good, that’s fine. This is football. But I don’t want people telling me who should or shouldn’t play.”
He added: “In the last game, they insisted a key player [Darnell Eric Bile] should be benched. The player has a small amateur salary, but he’s the best player in the team.
“I brought him on for just 20 minutes – he got two assists, and we won the game. But they didn’t want him [to play]. They thought they could control whether he plays because he hadn’t signed a [new] contract [with the club]. I used him because of his quality.”
Chelsea icon Claude Makelele and Cardiff in ‘advanced talks’
Makélélé, who won two Premier League titles with Chelsea during a five-year stint at Stamford Bridge in the noughties, looks set for a swift return to management following reports out of France.
Foot Mercato claim that he is in ‘advanced discussions’ with Cardiff City over taking the reins at the Welsh club, who are rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.
The Bluebirds are “looking for an experienced coach who could breathe new life” into a team that has just one win from nine games this season.
Erol Bulut was dismissed last month after the side picked up one point from their opening six games, their worst start to a campaign in 94 years.
Makélélé secured his first head coaching role a decade ago with French club Bastia, but was sacked just six months later after picking up three wins from 13 games. Between 2017 and 2019 he was in charge of Belgian outfit Eupen, where he won 30 percent of the matches he presided over.
The former Real Madrid star has also been an assistant coach at Paris Saint-Germain and Swansea City, and spent four years with Chelsea as a youth coach and technical mentor. He left that role in September 2023.
A number of other names have been linked with the vacant Cardiff job, including former Plymouth and Stoke manager Steven Schumacher, ex-West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic, Charlton’s Nathan Jones, and current Reading manager Ruben Selles.
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