Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has urged Carlo Ancelotti to return to Stamford Bridge, suggesting the Italian might "fancy the challenge" of rebuilding the Blues.
Ancelotti's Real Madrid dumped the London club out of the Champions League with victory in the capital on Tuesday night. A 2-0 victory in the first leg had given the reigning champions an advantage, and they withstood pressure from Frank Lampard's men before a second-half double from Rodrygo made their progress secure.
A number of names have been touted at Lampard's permanent successor, including Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann. However, after watching former Blues boss Ancelotti mastermind another win, Cole raised the prospect of a return for the man who led Chelsea to Premier League glory in 2010.
"I love Carlo," Cole, who was part of the Italian's title-winning squad, told BT Sport. "He was actually one I thought could be on the list to come back here..
"If you ever want a manager to soothe a club and to just rebuild it...he might fancy the challenge," added the former England international. However, when fellow pundit Rio Ferdinand laughed off the idea of Ancelotti leaving Real Madrid, Cole admitted it was wishful thinking on his part.
"I'm clutching [at straws] here, I'm clutching," Cole said with a laugh. "Carlo please come home!"
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After conquering Liverpool in the round of 16 and Chelsea in the quarter-finals, Real Madrid could be given a chance to take on a third English side in the semis. Manchester City are hot favourites to set up a repeat of last season's semi-final clash, holding a 3-0 advantage over Bayern Munich after the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
Chelsea's second-leg defeat prompted questions from former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who was covering the game as a pundit for beIN Sports. The Frenchman pointed to the huge sums spent by the Blues, whose lowly league position means they will not be playing Champions League football next season.
"I'm worried for Chelsea," Wenger said. "If you don't invest the £500m [well] then you have a problem. They haven't invested well.
"They've the same weaknesses as before. They don't score enough goals. They've a lot of possession but not enough conversion."
Tuesday night's defeat meant Lampard has lost all four of his matches since returning as caretaker manager - the first time any Chelsea manager has started so poorly. In addition to the home and away losses against Real Madrid, the Blues have been beaten by Wolves and Brighton in the Premier League.
Chelsea sit 11th in the Premier League, with just seven games left to avoid a bottom-half finish. Both of their next two games come against fellow London sides, with Lampard's men hosting Brentford before travelling to face title-chasing Arsenal.
