Chelsea close to unveiling new manager
The former Blues midfielder guided the club to FA Cup and Champions League glory following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas, who was sacked in early March after performing poorly in the league and looking as though they were on their way out of the Champions League after losing 3-1 against Napoli away.
Who’d have thought that Di Matteo would be able to overturn that deficit and qualifying Chelsea for next season’s competition the only way possible after finishing sixth in the Premier League, by winning the competition that Roman Abramovich has been craving since he arrived in west London?
This should have been enough to earn him the job on the spot, right? Wrong.
It seems to have taken some time for the club to come to a decision which led many to believe that Di Matteo would not be given the job on a permanent basis and it would suggest that he was not the first choice for the job, with Pep Guardiola being Abramovich’s preferred choice according to most reports. The likes of Fabio Capello and Harry Redknapp were also linked with the job and both are available, but it would seem as though the club never intended to bring either in.
Di Matteo would be a hugely popular choice amongst the fans and is the obvious choice amongst the current available candidates but if he’s to be offered a one-year deal as most reports suggest, it would seem as though he’s just keeping the seat warm for Guardiola who is determined to see through his year sabbatical.
However, Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail said that he think Di Matteo may be offered more than the one year on his Twitter account:
Contract terms have now been agreed – and it is definitely more than a one-year deal that would look like he was simply holding the fort until Pep Guardiola made himself available.
Robeto Di Matteo is due back from holiday this week and should be announced officially when he return to London.