Chelsea legend Claude Makelele in talks to take surprise manager role no-one saw coming

Claude Makelele is reportedly in talks to make a surprise return to England, just days after he left his position at Greek Super League side Asteras Tripolis.

The 51-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive midfielders of all time, stepped into the management game after hanging up his boots in 2011.

He spent three years at Paris Saint-Germain as an assistant before taking his first head coach role at French side Bastia in 2014.

Makelele then reunited with Paul Clement at Swansea City in 2017 and a spell in charge of Belgian outfit KAS Eupen followed.

But arguably his biggest, and most recent, job to date came to an abrupt end this week, despite taking charge of just three games.

Speaking to London World about his decision to leave Greek Super League side Asteras Tripolis, the former Chelsea midfielder revealed all.

"I love the job, but I can’t accept when people interfere and tell me what I can or cannot do," he said.

"They promised me full control of the team. It was (supposed to be) my decision who played or didn’t play. In the last game, they insisted a key player [Darnell Eric Bile] should be benched.

"The player has a small amateur salary, but he’s the best player in the team. I brought him on for just 20 minutes – he got two assists, and we won the game.

"But they didn’t want him (to play). They thought they could control whether he plays because he hadn’t signed a (new) contract. I used him because of his quality."

Image credit: Getty

Now, the former Chelsea midfielder is in talks with Championship side Cardiff City about becoming their new manager, according to London World.

The news comes just days after Cardiff sacked Erol Bulut following the club's worst start to a season in 94 years.

Following the dismissal of Bulut, the club have also identified Reading manager Ruben Selles as a possible candidate for the position. Omer Riza is currently in charge on an interim basis.

Cardiff currently sit bottom of England's second tier with one win from a possible nine.