Wayne Rooney has encouraged Chelsea to bring Premier League icon Claude Makelele back to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are looking for a brand new manager after Liam Rosenior was sacked following a temporary and dismal spell in charge.
The Blues turned to Rosenior after Enzo Maresca’s departure in January however the ex-Strasbourg boss only lasted 106 days before being axed.
Under Rosenior, Chelsea won just 11 games out of 23 and suffered five successive Premier League defeats without scoring a goal, the club’s worst run since 1912.
Chelsea’s poor run has seen them slip to eighth within the Premier League, ten points outside the Champions League places.
The mood at Stamford Bridge at the very least improved on Sunday as Chelsea booked their place within the FA Cup final against Manchester City with a narrow win over Leeds United.
Chelsea remain worryingly chaotic on and off the pitch, nonetheless, and Rooney believes the team would profit from the return of club legend Makelele.
Makelele established himself as the most effective defensive midfielders in history during his time in west London, helping Chelsea win two Premier League titles either side of spells at Real Madrid and PSG.
The French World Cup runner-up returned to Chelsea as a youth coach and technical mentor but left that role in 2023 by mutual consent.
‘I played a charity game last 12 months and Claude Makelele was there,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast. ‘I absolutely loved it.
‘It was the primary time I’ve been in his company and we sat down after the sport and had a glass of wine, I absolutely loved him.
‘I used to be considering on the time, someone together with his mentality and mindset, having him across the place can be great for Chelsea.’
Discussing Chelsea’s issues following their FA Cup semi-final win over Leeds, Rooney added: ‘I used to be watching the game and I don’t think the Chelsea players seemed sad [about Rosenior’s sacking], they almost seemed relieved.
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‘As a player it is advisable to take a look at yourself. A few of them downed tools, 100%. It was interesting as well to see some players back fit.
‘For those who return to Chelsea once they under Lampard, Terry, Cech, Makelele, it actually didn’t matter that much if the manager was sacked because you’ve got a gaggle of leaders who will lead on the pitch and lead by example.
‘Groups of players like that run the football club, we had that at Manchester United, so the manager doesn’t have to do much. That’s where it’s modified massively.’
Rooney praised Chelsea’s appointment of Rosenior, who was certainly one of his assistants during his time accountable for Derby County.
Asked whether Rosenior can be ‘regretting’ his decision to take the Chelsea job, Rooney said: ‘I don’t know, I don’t know.
‘Liam’s a confident person and I’ve said again and again, I believe he’s a unbelievable coach.
‘He’s never been at a club of the pressure of Chelsea and he got put under an enormous amount of pressure straightaway from the media after which the players.
‘The players and the media quite quickly judged him after which he wasn’t getting results so all of us knew what was coming.’
Chelsea will look to construct on their FA Cup semi-final win over Leeds once they return to Premier League motion on Saturday against Nottingham Forest.
The Blues then face defending Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield before meeting Manchester City within the FA Cup final.
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