Chelsea deny offering manager’s job to Hiddink
“Information that Mr Abramovich is preparing to, or already has, offered Guus Hiddink a management post at Chelsea is untrue,” read the statement. “On the contrary, Mr Abramovich is very pleased the Russian Football Union has offered to renew Mr Hiddink’s contract until 2010. Thanks to Mr Hiddink the Russian national team has become more exciting and solid, giving hope for achieving serious success on both the European and international levels.”Earlier today Chelsea had confirmed Grant’s plans to strengthen his backroom team. Grant, basking in Chelsea’s impressive Champions League victory away to Valencia, is considering having a foreign assistant coach to work alongside Steve Clarke. Reports suggest the Ajax coach Henk ten Cate is the person Grant has in mind, some claiming he too has met with Chelsea technical director Frank Arnesen, but it is Grant who is currently shaping Chelsea’s future.Earlier the Blues released a statement which read: “Chelsea first-team coach Avram Grant has made it publicly clear several times that he intends to strengthen his backroom team in addition to his assistant coach Steve Clarke. One of the scenarios Avram is considering is a team containing a British assistant coach in Steve and a foreign assistant coach, a system the first team are already familiar with.”For his part, Hiddink has always been been quick to play down any suggestions that he is heading for Stamford Bridge and only last week was quoted as saying he had told Abramovich he wanted to concentrate on getting the national team to the Euro 2008 finals. Russia are two points behind second-placed England in Group E with three games left and face Steve McClaren’s side in Moscow in two weeks. Hiddink’s current deal with the Russian Football Federation is understood to expire next year but he has previously said he was going to extend it until 2010 whether or not they qualified for next year’s major tournament.Meanwhile, Chelsea captain John Terry has declared himself fit for England’s Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia. Terry, who led Chelsea to victory over Valencia in the Champions League last night wearing a face mask to protect the cheekbone he fractured against Fulham five days earlier, said: “I am definitely going to be ready for England. I’m fit now and no excuses.”It was OK playing in the mask. I got used to it in training and didn’t have any problems at all. As long as I am wearing my mask in games it is going to full protect me. I just have to be careful.”
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