By STEVE SOLDWEDEL

Roy Keane, Chelsea manager? It sounds fairly ridiculous for a number of reasons, but it doesn’t mean the former Red Devil, who’s coaching the team where Man U old boys go to die, hasn’t been linked to the London club.

Sunderland boss Roy Keane

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn says Keano won’t go, but he’s not surprised to hear his is a sought-after gaffer. After all, Keane has done what previous Mackem managers have not managed: he kept Sunderland from going right back down to the Championship. But, is surviving relegation enough of a pedigree to take over a club where Roman Abramovich is willing to wield the axe because second place doesn’t cut it? As a Newcastle supporter, it’s obvious that Sunderland is not one of my favorite clubs, but I have to give Keane credit for the job he did last campaign. Not only did he keep Sunderland up, but he got them clear enough of relegation that they were able to breathe easy before the season ended. He has another year on his contract and if he can return Sunderland to a semblance of prominence, it will only benefit the league and football in the northeast by forcing Newcastle and Middlesbrough to remain competitive in a battle for regional pride.

Personally, I pity the man who takes the hot-seat at Chelsea, but I think Roberto Mancini is a far more likely candidate for the post than is Keane. If Mancini is out at Inter Milan, I imagine he’d be the front-runner to be the true successor to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea legacy.