Gary Neville Suggested as Jose Mourinho's Chelsea Successor by Richard Keys

BeIN Sports presenter Richard Keys believes Sky Sports pundit and England coach Gary Neville should replace Jose Mourinho as Chelsea manager if the Special One loses his job at Stamford Bridge.  

On his personal blog, Keys wrote on Monday:

"

Right now there isn't a vacancy, but if there was why couldn't Chelsea go British? I'm serious. Here's a thought - what about Gary Neville? Why not? 

Gary continues to impress everybody with his thoughtful approach to the game. He's been a stunning success at Sky TV. ... He's coached at the highest level with England. He's handled big players during his time with England. He sees a game that few others do and more often than not he's got the answers to coaching problems at most clubs. He's never shirked a tackle or a battle. He's ready to put into practice what he believes in surely? 

"

This is not the first time Keys has called for the former Manchester United stalwart to take on a more significant coaching role than his current duties with the Three Lions:

Neville has seriously impressed as a pundit since retiring as a player in 2011, with former Chelsea player Micky Hazard and Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez among those to praise his impressive insight:

"

Gary Neville the top Football pundit, says it as it is and delivers in depth analysis

— Micky Hazard (@1MickyHazard) September 29, 2015"

While further coaching or managerial roles could be in the knowledgeable 40-year-old's future, to suggest he could cope with—much less be considered for—the role of Chelsea manager without any previous managerial experience is somewhat far-fetched.

Since Roman Abramovich bought the Blues, the club have had most of their success through hiring managers who were proven, successful coaches elsewhere with a record of winning trophies, such as Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Further, ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney reports that according to unnamed sources, while Chelsea are considering sacking the Special One after the Blues' awful run of form, what could save him is that to fire him would cost Chelsea £30 million—£10 million for each year remaining on his lucrative contract.

Chelsea's struggles have put their chances of a title challenge and even a Champions League finish in jeopardy, but until the latter in particular becomes a real threat and the club risk losing far more in TV revenue than they would in Mourinho's payout, it seems the 52-year-old could hang on to his job a little longer.

If Mourinho is in fact sacked, Chelsea will need an experienced head to turn things around, and while Neville's accomplishments as a player and a pundit would command some respect from the players, it wouldn't likely be to the same degree as a title- or Champions League-winning manager.

Neville may one day be sat in the dugout of a Premier League club, but it's not likely to be Chelsea.