Guus Hiddink would be “absolutely perfect” as an interim manager at Chelsea, former midfielder Ray Wilkins has said.
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The article was later updated to say that Hiddink “is the leading candidate to become interim manager” of the Blues.
“Gonna miss you Boss”.
“I want to have a very good insight into how all it got into this way”.
Chelsea suffered just one defeat in Hiddink’s 23 games in charge, the Dutchman guiding the club to FA Cup success against Everton at Wembley in his final game before returning to his job as Russian national coach.
Hiddink, who performed a similar role in 2009 at the west London club, is favourite to replace Jose Mourinho who was sacked by the English champions yesterday after Chelsea’s dismal start to the season.
Chelsea parted company with Mourinho by “mutual consent” on Thursday.
The official Socceroos Twitter feed also announced: “Our former boss has taken charge at @ChelseaFC – Good luck Guus!”
“It is possible that we would still use this weekend to discuss”, Hiddink told Fox Sports.
“Jose Mourinho is pleased that he returned to Chelsea because he was able to give the fans another Premier League title, which they had not won for many years”, the statement continued.
So can Hiddink maintain his reputation at Chelsea as a man with the ability to turn around a season that is on the ropes?
The priority for Chelsea now is to ensure that angry supporters don’t create a poisonous atmosphere akin to the one that engulfed Stamford Bridge in the wake of Mourinho’s first departure and the ill-advised replacement of Roberto Di Matteo with Rafael Benitez in November 2012. “I would even say they are one of the favourites for the Champions League”.
Chelsea’s transfer dealings have been done with Roman Abramovich’s adviser Marina Granovskaia and also technical director Michael Emenalo. “Whilst there is huge sentiment for the individual who has done so much for the club, the fact of the matter remains that Chelsea Football Club is in trouble”, Emenalo said to chelseafc.com on Thursday.
“The owner was forced to make a very tough decision which is for the good of the club”.
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Just four months after signing a four-year contract, the Portuguese was shown the door as manager, as he was in 2007 when his first stint ended equally abruptly. But his second dismissal from Chelsea has only added to the perception that he is a coach who delivers a short-term fix before leaving acrimoniously.
