Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has revealed that he wants the West London club to sign Italian national team manager Antonio Conte.
Speculation about Chelsea’s new manager has been rife ever since the sacking of fan favourite Jose MHiddink Wants Chelsea to Be Transparent About their Next Appointmentourinho. While Hiddink has been appointed as the interim manager at the club, it seems that the Blues would have a new boss by the start of the next season.
The English press has published a lot of stories about the potential candidates to take up the management role on a permanent basis from the start of the 2016/17 season. The likes of Manuel Pellegrini, Diego Simeone, and Jorge Sampaoli have been tipped as possible managerial candidates for the club.
However, recent reports have highlighted Conte as the favourite to take the job. Conte, who is currently contracted to the Italian national team, is expected to take over at Chelsea after the Euro 2016. Hiddink though is not too fazed by the Conte rumours, and says that he would encourage his club to make the announcement.
“I am in favour of when things are done and are made transparent,” Hiddink was quoted saying in the Daily Mirror.
Having won three successive Serie A titles with Juventus before taking over as the manager of the Italian national side in 2014, Conte is considered as one of the brightest young managers from Italy at this point.
The common factor between Hiddink and Conte
Although the two managers are from two different eras of football (Hiddink is perhaps in his last few years as a manager, while Conte is in his prime), the one thing that is in common between the two is that they have had full time international management experience.
Well, Hiddink is obviously more experienced and has achieved much more as a manger in international football than Conte. The Italian however, has more time on his hands and a very talented Italian side at his disposal to win the Euros. Hiddink believes that club management is completely different in comparison to international football, something that every coach must adjust to while making the shift.
“There’s a lot of difference. At club level you have that daily interaction with the players. You are also in control of the behaviour on the pitch and the behaviour off the pitch,” said Hiddink. “As a national team coach you only have the players every now and then. You have games.”
“The only exception to this is that when you are going into a tournament. Then you have three of four weeks with the players,” continued Hiddink. “Its very exciting to get as soon as possible into the culture not so much of the country but the club.”
Conte has done well with the Italian side considering that he has only been in charge of the national team for 16 games. An unbeaten campaign in the Euro 2016 qualifiers saw his side top their group. However, the Italians have been found wanting while playing a few high profile friendlies as the Azzurri suffered defeats at the hands of Portugal (1-0) and Belgium (3-1).
