‘He doesn’t speak English!’: Emmanuel Petit says Zinedine Zidane will NOT be in the Premier League any time soon as ‘he doesn’t want someone to translate everything he has to say’ – in a blow to managerless Tottenham and Chelsea
- Emmanuel Petit said Zinedine Zidane will not move to the Premier League soon
- Zidane, 50, is a contender to take over at managerless Tottenham and Chelsea
- Zidane’s lack of English apparently means he doesn’t want to manage in England
Zinedine Zidane will not become the next Chelsea or Tottenham manager because of his lack of English, according to Emmanuel Petit.
The Blues are looking for a new manager after firing Graham Potter on Sunday.
While Spurs sacked Antonio Conte in March in the wake of a stunning outburst at his own players after they collapsed to a 3-3 draw against bottom side Southampton.
French boss Zidane, 50, is one of the most high-profile coaches in the game after his success with Real Madrid and is a contender to take over both vacant jobs.
But Petit told Stadium Astro that his compatriot’s lack of English means the former midfield star will not move to the Premier League any time soon – effectively ruling him out of the Tottenham and Chelsea positions.
Zinedine Zidane will not move to manage Chelsea or Tottenham, according to Emmanuel Petit
The Frenchman is one of the most high-profile coaches in the game after leading Real Madrid to three successive Champions League titles
But Petit, 52, insists his compatriot’s lack of English will scupper a move to the Blues or Spurs
He said: ‘Zidane, he won’t come. Definitely. Do you know why? Because he doesn’t speak English.
‘That’s the truth – because I have known Zidane for ages and the way he manages players, he’s very close, he always talks to his players.
‘So he wants the communication to be a priority. Very important for him, he doesn’t want someone to translate everything he has to say publicly.’
Argentine Marcelo Bielsa held press conferences in Spanish rather than English and used the translating skills of Andres Clavijo, who became a popular figure with fans.
But Zidane does not want to go down the same route and therefore appears unlikely to move to one of the London clubs, says Petit – who won the 1998 World Cup with France…