Reports: Juande Ramos to replace Jose Mourinho if Chelsea sack him

Ramos managed Tottenham in 2007-08 season, winning the League Cup

According to reports, Ex-Real Madrid manager Juande Ramos has been touted to replace Jose Mourinho as Chelsea manager. The 61-year-old is rumoured to be the prime candidate to take the role of interim manager at Stamford Bridge if Mourinho is sacked by the Chelsea board.

The defending champions have had a forgettable season thus far, as they are in 16^th place in the table, languishing just one point above the relegation zone. There have been widespread rumours that Mourinho will be asked to step down from his managerial position at Stamford Bridge on account of the dismal performances Chelsea have put in this season.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich called for an emergency board meeting on Wednesday to discuss Mourinho’s future with the club. The Blues recently succumbed to a 2-1 loss against table-toppers Leicester City on Monday night which prompted the Russian to call for the meeting, which lasted for about nine hours.

While there have been rumours regarding Mourinho’s position at Chelsea throughout the season, the loss to Leicester coupled with the board meeting have seen the speculation about the managerial role reach fever pitch, with Ramos primed to take charge.

Ramos’ last managerial stint was with Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk but has been without any club since May 2014, and if at all he is chosen for the managerial role at Chelsea, it will be for a short term. The Spanish tactician has managed only one Premier League club in Tottenham Hotspur, but he was ousted from the North London club in a year.

Ramos’ insider at Chelsea

Back in October, Chelsea released a statement backing Jose Mourinho after the 3-1 loss to Southampton, and later in November, Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo, who is a very close aide of Abramovich, reiterated the board’s view saying that they have full confidence in Mourinho and are ready to keep him at the helm of the club.

“Right now, the statement from the owner and from the board comes from a belief that we are in a position to trust a manager who has delivered so much. We are in a position to trust a group of players who have delivered in the last couple of seasons. We are in a position to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel and therein lies our confidence ... that we can get out of the situation,” Emenalo said.

David Ornstein, BBC sports journalist posted a tweet yesterday, saying that Emenalo has played under Ramos during his playing days and might be persuasive in the decision of appointing the Spaniard as the interim manager of the club.

Ramos friends with Emenalo. Managed him @ Lleida 97/8 & wanted him #THFC assistant over Poyet but #CFC offered far more £ to be chief scout

— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) December 16, 2015