EPL : Chelsea in tussle with League One club over individual’s future
Chelsea are trying convince first-team coach Anthony Barry to remain at the club amid interest from Fleetwood Town, a report from Football Insider has claimed.
Barry joined Chelsea back in the summer after leaving Wigan Athletic, but it now seems as though he is a man in demand once again.
It was recently reported that Fleetwood have offered Barry – who spent three-and-a-half season as a player with the Cod Army – the chance to take on the managerial role at the League One club, which was vacated by Joey Barton earlier this month.
According to this latest update however, Chelsea are keen to keep hold of Barry, and are attempting to convince him to remain at Stamford Bridge.
It is thought that Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard as the club’s new manager at the start of this week, still wants Barry as part of his coaching team, as he looks to take Chelsea back towards the very pinnacle of English football.
While Chelsea are currently eighth in the Premier League table, Fleetwood sit 14th in the League One standings, nine points adrift of the play-offs after failing to win any of their last seven league games.
This is an interesting decision that Barry has to make.
On the one hand, the chance to stay at Chelsea, working with a club who are expected to be competing for trophies, and under a manager with the reputation of Tuchel, must surely be tempting for Barry.
However, you do also wonder whether the chance to take on the main role of manager himself , as he would at Fleetwood, could be appealing for Barry, particularly since this is one of his old clubs, and you don’t envy the choice he has to make here.