Zinedine Zidane Won’t Be A Manager Of Any Premier League Team Says Emmanuel Petit.

Zinedine Zidane will not become manager of any Premier League teams due to his lack of English, according to his former international teammate Emmanuel Petit.

Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are in the hunt for a new manager after sacking their respective managers in the past few weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly giving consideration to trying to appoint Zidane as their next manager after relieving Antonio Conte of his duties last month due to his criticism and comments regarding his Spurs players and owners at the club during his post-match press conference following the 3-3 draw away at Southampton. 

Assistant manager Cristian Stellini has since been placed in temporary charge, assisted by Ryan Mason, and the pair will look to help Spurs finish in the top four of the Premier League standings.

On the other hand, Chelsea also joined Spurs in the managerial market after sacking Graham Potter on Sunday due to poor performance, the Blues are currently 11th in the table and haven’t won in three games.

The West London club are now set to announce Frank Lampard as their new manager on an interim basis until the end of season, after failing to land one of Europe's top bosses Zidane.

The likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique have also all been linked with the Chelsea job.

However, Zidane is reportedly unlikely to want to make the switch to England, and Tottenham and Chelsea will need to turn their attentions elsewhere.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star Zidane left his post as Real Madrid manager in May 2021 and has been out of work since, as he has not returned to management.

In two spells under the legendary Frenchman, Los Blancos won three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles, making him one of only three managers in history to have claimed three or more European Cups.

He became the only manager not to just win successive Champions League titles but to do so thrice in a row.

Whether Zidane would be willing to join an English club without speaking the language or joins another top European club in the future, remains to be seen, but Petit strongly indicated this would not be the case.

The 50-year-old had appeared in line to become the next France manager after the World Cup before Didier Deschamps was handed a contract extension until 2026.

Zidane himself said last summer he would not be keen on the prospect, because his English is not up to the required standard to manage a Premier League team. He had previously turned down taking the reins at Old Trafford last summer, when Man United were in search of a manager.

Speaking to French outlet L’Equipe, he said: “I understand English, but I’m not completely fluent in it,

“I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work in a different way. Many elements come into play in order to win, it is a global context. I know what I need to win.”

Some managers have made the transition to coach football clubs in England without a full knowledge on the language work.

An example is former Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa who used a translator in press conferences and interviews throughout his three year stay at Elland Road.

Ex-Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Petit said Zidane would not be willing to join an English club over fears the language barrier may impede his ability to coach.

“Zidane, he won’t come, definitely,” Petit told Stadium Astro. “You know why? Because he is not speaking English.

“I have known Zidane for ages and the way he manages players, he is very close to his players, and he always talks to his players.

“He wants communication to be a priority for him, it is very important for him. He doesn’t want someone to translate everything he has to say publicly. Simple.”

Paris Saint-Germain also remain an obvious option if they part ways with Christopher Galtier, providing that Marseille-born Zidane is prepared to ignore the rivalry between the clubs.