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Abramovich tells Chelsea players that Hiddink is the new manager
By Editor Wayne Veysey
Roman Abramovich has told the Chelsea squad that Guus Hiddink will take over as the club’s new manager.
The Chelsea owner made a rare visit to the club’s Cobham training ground on Friday, 24 hours after sacking Jose Mourinho.
A Chelsea source has told Football Insider that Abramovich addressed the underperforming players and told them that Hiddink will be named as manager for a second time.
The Dutchman was photographed at Heathrow Airport on Friday morning as he landed in the capital to put the finishing touches to his new Chelsea deal.
As reported by Football Insider on Thursday, Hiddink is set to be appointed Chelsea manager until the end of the season.
The Dutchman, 69, is set to watch from the stands on Saturday as Chelsea host Sunderland at Stamford Bridge, with long-standing Blues coach Steve Holland expected to select and lead the team along with Eddie Newton.
Hiddink, who was sacked by Holland in June after a disastrous start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign from which they failed to recover, admitted he was set for talks with the Chelsea hierarchy but gave little away about further plans.
“I want to get some good insight before I make my decision,” he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “I want as much information as possible. Chelsea are in a bad situation and there are reasons for that.
“Whether or not I’m visiting their next match depends on my first conversation. Then I’ll decide if I should stay in London longer.”
FOTO: Guus Hiddink op vliegveld Londen gesignaleerd https://t.co/rklolYqAmO #Chelsea pic.twitter.com/bZcEU93wsy
— Telesport Voetbal (@televoetbal) December 18, 2015
The Dutchman rejoins the London club with Chelsea marooned in 16th place just a point above the relegation zone and 20 points behind Premier League leaders Leicester.
Hiddink won an FA Cup with Chelsea in 2009 when he combined the role with the Russia manager’s job following the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari in the February of that year.
The Dutchman proved popular among the players and was considered for the post permanently but his position with Russia made that impossible.