Wayne Rooney has urged Chelsea to rehire club legend Claude Makelele in a bid to restore leadership and stability at the troubled club.
Wayne Rooney: Chelsea lack leaders – Makelele is the answer
The Blues find themselves in disarray after sacking manager Liam Rosenior following just 106 days in charge.
Rosenior’s brief reign yielded only 11 wins from 23 matches, with five straight Premier League defeats without scoring Chelsea’s worst run since 1912.
Chelsea now sit ninth in the Premier League, ten points adrift of the Champions League places. They face Manchester City in the FA Cup final today, but Rooney believes deeper changes are needed.
Speaking on his BBC podcast, the former Manchester United and England striker recalled a recent encounter with Makelele.
“I played a charity game last year and Claude Makelele was there,” Rooney said.
“I absolutely loved it. It was the first time I’ve been in his company. We sat down after the game and had a glass of wine. I absolutely loved him.
“Someone with his mentality and mindset – having him around the place would be great for Chelsea.”
Makelele, widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive midfielders in history, won two Premier League titles during his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
The French World Cup runner-up later returned to Chelsea as a youth coach and technical mentor before leaving by mutual consent in 2023.
Rooney contrasted Chelsea’s current squad with the club’s golden era.
“When Chelsea had Lampard, Terry, Cech, Makelele, it didn’t really matter if the manager got sacked because you had a group of leaders who led on the pitch,” he explained.
“Groups like that run the football club. That’s where it’s changed massively.”
The former Derby County manager also defended Rosenior, who served as his assistant at Pride Park.
Rooney said Rosenior faced immense pressure from both media and players from day one.
“The players and the media judged him quite quickly,” Rooney added. “He wasn’t getting results, so we all knew what was coming.”
