“Whether or not I’m visiting their next match (against Sunderland) depends on my first conversation”.
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Revealing plans for his immediate future, the statement indicated that Mourinho will continue to live in London and will be seen attending games, though the Portuguese will stay away from high profile contests in order to dampen any speculation.
Chelsea’s announcement came hot on the heels of Mourinho revealing he is already looking for a route back into management.
Hiddink said he will not officially take charge of the team this weekend even if he agrees terms with the Blues, but he is likely to watch from the stands when Chelsea face fellow strugglers Sunderland in a crucial Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Well-travelled Dutch veteran Hiddink is viewed as the ideal antidote to the dressing-room discontent that has coincided with Chelsea’s decline from defending champions into relegation battlers.
Since leaving Chelsea, he has endured unsuccessful spells as manager of Turkey, Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala and the Netherlands. He spoke with Michael Emenalo, the Chelsea technical director, as well as certain first-team members including Branislav Ivanovic, the long-serving defender.
Skipper John Terry expressed his regret at the departure of the controversial 52-year-old, posting on social media: “Thank you doesn’t seem enough”.
“Going to miss you boss”, Terry wrote on Instagram. “I manage a team in a very different way that he does it. Maybe a lot of things he does I don’t like to do it but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good manager”.
Mourinho was sacked as manager on Thursday, just seven months after guiding Chelsea to the Premier League title.
Chelsea will reportedly step up their attempts to sign Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy now that Jose Mourinho has left the club, the London Evening Standard reports.
If they can claim a seventh win from their past eight games, the Foxes would lead the standings at Christmas, something surely no one would have thought possible at the start of the season.
“We are in trouble, we can talk around it or deal with the reality”, he told the Chelsea website.
“I want to gain some good insights on that before I make my decision. Any fan can understand this club is in trouble and something needed to be done”.
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“Boosting corporate hospitality income is a key part of the club’s plans for the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge”, he added.
