Bournemouth have reportedly held talks with former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa over the manager's job at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries parted ways with Scott Parker at the end of August following their 9-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool, despite the 42-year-old's successful promotion push in the 2021-22 Championship season.
Parker's sacking was met with widespread criticism from all quarters, but caretaker manager Gary O'Neil has helped to steady the ship since he was placed in interim charge.
The 39-year-old went unbeaten in his first six Premier League games with Bournemouth, helping to steer them away from the relegation zone into the safety of mid-table.
Things have since taken a turn for the worse for O'Neil, though, as the Cherries have lost their last four Premier League games to Southampton, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United.
Bournemouth were two goals to the good against Spurs and Leeds before falling to defeat, but they thumped Everton 4-1 in the third round of the EFL Cup in midweek.
With O'Neil not expected to be handed the reins on a permanent basis, Sky Sports News claims that the Cherries have now discussed the vacant post with Bielsa.
The report adds that negotiations between the two parties were "positive", and the 67-year-old is a leading candidate of soon-to-be owner Bill Foley should he decide against keeping O'Neil.
Bielsa is supposedly open to exploring a new project at the Vitality Stadium, having been out of work since being given the boot by Leeds at the end of February to be replaced by Jesse Marsch.
Bielsa brought an extensive CV with him to Elland Road, having managed the likes of Argentina, Lazio, Lille, Chile, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille and Espanyol down the years.
The Argentine took over at Leeds ahead of the 2018-19 season and led the Whites to the Premier League in his second campaign with 93 points from their 46 matches.
The Whites achieved a ninth-placed finish in the 2020-21 season, but Bielsa departed with his side in the relegation zone after just five wins from 26 games in 2021-22.
The 67-year-old left Leeds with a total of 81 wins, 30 draws and 59 defeats under his belt from 170 matches in all competitions and also won gold with Argentina at the 2004 Olympics.
O'Neil and Bournemouth currently sit 17th in the Premier League table and will aim to enter the World Cup break on a high when they face Everton in a repeat of their EFL Cup battle on Saturday. body check tags ::
