Chelsea owner Roman Abrahamovic face atough task ahead searching for his 10th manager inhis 12-year-long years as the owner of the club.
Jose Mourinho, sacked on Thursday, came back to Chelsea in 2013 promising to build a legacy, but he instead brought characteristic short-term success, followed by a staggeringly rapid collapse.
He leaves behind a squad full of underperforming big-name players such as Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard and in which highly regarded youngsters like Ruben Loftus-Cheek remain desperately short of top-level experience.
Abramovich is a known admirer of Pep Guardiola, who has given youth its head at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich and instilled playing systems based on intricate, passing football.
Guardiola, though, is tipped to join Manchester City, where owner Sheikh Mansour has stolen a march on Abramovich by installing the Catalan’s former Barcelona allies Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain.
Abramovich has been snubbed by Guardiola before and with Manchester United also felt to be a potential destination for the Bayern coach, the Russian may miss out on his man again.
After nine defeats in 16 league games, Chelsea’s squad is clearly in need of a jolt and it is therefore little surprise to see Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte high on the list of potential long-term successors.
Both coaches are passionate and relatively young (Simeone is 45, Conte 46) and exponents of aggressive, in-your-face football.
Neither would be afraid to ruffle feathers, but Simeone is under contract at Atletico Madrid until 2020 and Conte has his sights set on leading Italy into battle at Euro 2016.
Recently sacked Carlo Ancelotti is also in the frame but Hiddink still leads the race.
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