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The ex-Chelsea player who was teammates with Zidane believes the Frenchman will not be interested in replacing Potter
Former Chelsea star and France international Emmanuel Petit has weighed in on the race to replace Graham Potter by ruling out his former teammate Zinedine Zidane from the Blues’ job.
Petit and Zidane played together for the France national team, winning the 1998 World Cup, where they both scored in the final.
Petit and Zidane agree on language barrier
Petit knows Zidane very well and believes his ex-teammate will not be interested in joining Chelsea due to the language barrier.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s weekend tie against Leeds United, Petit said, "Zinedine Zidane doesn’t speak English, so he’s not the proper choice for Chelsea to replace Potter, with all due respect to my former teammate."
Zidane has also previously expressed similar sentiments when asked if he would coach Manchester United and said he was unlikely to coach in a country where he does not understand the language.
Speaking at the Alpine F1 car launch, Zidane said, "When people say to me: 'Do you want to go to Manchester?' I understand English, but I don't fully master it.
"I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play.”
Graham Potter struggling at Chelsea
Graham Potter has said that he still feels the backing of Chelsea’s higher-ups, but he must also be feeling the pressure as the Blues' results get worse.
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Chelsea have lost their last three matches in all competitions, and have not won a match since January, while scoring only one goal in the month of February.
Chelsea are 10th on the Premier League table, 14 points away from the top four with only 14 matches left in the season, and their chances of reaching the UEFA Champions League spots for next season are virtually non-existent.
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