Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's possible shortlist of Carlo Ancelotti replacements following sacking of Italian
After winning the Double - the club's first - in his first season Carlo Ancelotti failed to supply Roman Abramovich with any silverware in his second term. After the Italian was sacked, Telegraph Sport looks at seven possible replacements.
By Telegraph staff and agencies 8:29PM BST 22 May 2011
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Guus Hiddink
The hugely successful and experienced Dutchman is reportedly owner Roman Abramovich's number one choice but is said not to want a return to frontline club management. Hiddink rescued Chelsea's season when he joined on a caretaker basis two years ago as he won the FA Cup and was desperately unlucky not to reach the Champions League final. His availability could depend on the outcome of Turkey's crucial European Championship qualifier in Belgium on June 3, although he may favour a sporting director role.
Andre Villas-Boas
Hiddink agreeing to move upstairs would open the door for an up-and-coming manager and Villas-Boas is currently the hottest young coach around. Dubbed the new 'Special One' after breaking several records set by Jose Mourinho at Porto, the 33-year-old knows Stamford Bridge well having worked as a scout under his fellow Portuguese. He would be a gamble but he wrapped up the Portuguese championship with five games to spare and last week added the Europa League title in Dublin before making it three trophies for the season with victory in the Portuguese Cup final on Sunday.
Marco van Basten
The former Holland manager has become a leading candidate following suggestions Hiddink recommended him to Abramovich as an alternative to himself. Despite being one of the greatest strikers of all time, Van Basten's managerial CV is not one that would usually interest Chelsea. His two major tournaments in charge of Holland ended with defeats in the first knockout rounds, while his one year at Ajax saw them fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Harry Redknapp
Redknapp is reportedly admired by Abramovich for transforming the fortunes of Tottenham using a brand of football the Russian has been yearning to see since buying Chelsea eight years ago. Redknapp has brushed off rumours linking him with the job but the former Portsmouth boss is a master of obfuscation and showed by taking charge of Southampton that he is not averse to a controversial move, especially one which would provide him with the spending power Spurs lack. But he may decide to hold out for the England job.
Mark Hughes
Hughes will be able to sympathise with Ancelotti, having been cruelly sacked by Manchester City a year and a half ago, despite being on course to meet the requirement set by his bosses. He appears to be by far the best manager of all Sir Alex Ferguson's former players, having transformed the fortunes of Wales and Blackburn and building on Roy Hodgson's work at Fulham. Despite being "happy" at Craven Cottage, he has previously said he wants to manage another big club and remains popular at Chelsea from his spell there as a player.
Pep Guardiola
Even more than Redknapp, Guardiola plays the fantasy football Abramovich craves. But would he want to leave Barcelona when he has a number of the best players in the world at his disposal? Also, Barca's philosophy has taken several years to develop, while Chelsea have been playing a game almost at the other end of the spectrum since Mourinho's appointment. Frank Rijkaard proved leaving the Nou Camp and working with less technically gifted players can be more difficult than it might seem.
Avram Grant
After guiding Portsmouth and West Ham to relegation in successive seasons, you would think Grant would be the last person Chelsea would turn to. But the Israeli reportedly retains the ear of Abramovich from his spell in charge, which saw him become the only man to lead the club to a Champions League final. Although far more likely to be a candidate for sporting director, it could be he is appointed manager for a season if Abramovich decides to wait for a more suitable candidate to become available, such as Villas-Boas or Guardiola - or perhaps even Mourinho.
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