Chelsea favourite Hiddink wants return to club game
FORMER Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has dropped the strongest hint yet that he wants to return to Stamford Bridge – whether he stays on as Turkey coach or not.
The Dutchman, whose current role may depend on the outcome of Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium, declared he would relish a return to the day-to-day involvement of club football.
However, referring to the three-and-a-half months of 2009 in which he managed Chelsea alongside Russia, Hiddink suggested he would be willing to juggle two high-profile jobs again.
“I feel energetic, so a club role is more preferable,” said the 65-year-old. “And that’s what I like, working every day. I feel I need to do more.
“I’ve trained Australia and PSV [Eindhoven] at the same time, as well as Russia and Chelsea, and I was very happy. We’ll see what happens with Turkey.”
Hiddink, who took over at Stamford Bridge in February 2009 following the departure of Luiz Felipe Scolari and led the Blues to the FA Cup, was last night the favourite to succeed the sacked Carlo Ancelotti.
The former Real Madrid coach, who is still on the Chelsea payroll as an advisor to the club’s owner Roman Abramovich, insisted he had not yet received a concrete offer from west London.
“There is no official offer yet, but I can’t guarantee anything,” he added. “I haven’t told the [Turkish Football Federation] chairman [Mahmut Ozgener] what I thought yet. But he’s an intelligent man. I am sure he follows the world media.”
Turkish media have speculated that Hiddink could be sacked if he fails to guide the team to next summer’s European Championship finals. They currently lie third in qualifying Group A, one point behind Belgium and six adrift of runaway leaders Germany, meaning Friday’s clash in Brussels could push him closer to the exit.
Hiddink said his contract was for another year and added: “I never told anybody I was going to continue working here. The team is focused on me, I would affect the team negatively if I answered the speculation.”
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has also been linked with the post but appears increasingly likely to stay at White Hart Lane.
Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne, who spent last season on loan at Wolves, meanwhile, looks set to join Hamburg after travelling to Germany yesterday for a medical examination ahead of a move.