Gus Poyet admits he would welcome the opportunity to manage Chelsea in the future and has reiterated his support for Luis Suarez in his racism row.
Brighton boss refuses to rule out return to Stamford Bridge
Gus Poyet admits he would welcome the opportunity to manage Chelsea in the future and has reiterated his support for Luis Suarez in his racism row.
The Uruguayan is making quite a name for himself in management circles after guiding Brighton into the Championship.
Coaching roles at Swindon, Leeds and Tottenham helped to prepare him for life in the hot-seat, and Poyet is setting his sights on the very top of his chosen profession.
Reaching the Premier League is now the ultimate target, be that with Brighton or someone else.
He intends to reach that level sooner rather than later and, having represented Chelsea with distinction during his playing days, has refused to rule out a return to Stamford Bridge.
"Yes, perhaps. But I'm not in a hurry," Poyet told
The Independent.
Ambition
"That doesn't mean when I'm 72, but not tomorrow. Five years would be better than 10, but anyway I'm convinced that it's possible with Brighton.
"If the aim were not the Premiership, I'd already be gone. But the chairman (Tony Bloom) wants the same as me."
It is possible the Chelsea post may be vacated sooner than many people expected, with Andre Villas-Boas experiencing a tough time in his debut season in England.
Poyet believes he could handle the pressures involved in such a high-profile job, but is confident Villas-Boas can turn things around in West London.
"I hope it works for him," he said.
"It is a difficult time because in five years, three, two, someone has to make a decision on John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech."
If that person were to be him, Poyet added: "I would not be worried. To make decisions, that is why I became a manager."
Support
Meanwhile, Poyet has stood by comments he made regarding countryman Suarez and the Liverpool striker's racism row.
He previously came out in support of the Reds forward, in his feud with Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, and incurred the wrath of United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Poyet will not be altering his stance, though, and maintains that Suarez is not the type of person to discriminate against others.
He said: "If you are racist, you are against someone who is not like you. Because you are from another country, another continent, or because of the colour of your skin, for me it's the same. And in football they do it to make us react, to go crazy, so we deal with that.
"Patrice Evra should deal with that. Suarez is a lovely guy, and 100 per cent not a racist. I have texted him to support him and to say I'm available if he needs me."
