In an interview with the BBC on Saturday evening, Michael Ballack put solidity to the rumours that Carlo Ancelotti will be the next Chelsea manager. He was quoted saying:

It's not done yet but it looks like he will be coach.

I haven't worked under him and I don't know him very well but you can see from the work he has done at Milan that he is a successful manager.

Then yesterday it was announced that Carlo Ancelotti had terminated his contract with AC Milan a year early, by mutual consent with the club.

So it seems that our friend Ballack is a harvester of good rumours, let's ask him for some more gossip! :)

Why not Hiddink?

After the Scolari debacle, it would seem unlikely that Chelsea would go looking for a manager to take a chance on. They looked at Big Phil's record and decided he was the best man available for the job, but it didn't work as planned. Chelsea's high standards were not reached, the players were not happy with the new gaffer and it seemed like the club were about to slide from grace.

At the time, they were short of options to replace Scolari, but they sacked him anyway and found a temporary solution in Guus Hiddink. The Russian national coach refused to leave Russia in the lurch and took on the Chelsea job as an on-the-side, temporary role. A bit of moonlighting for extra cash.

Hiddink was a huge success, winning 11 of the 13 games he was in charge for at The Bridge. He only dropped points in the loss to Tottenham and the draw to Everton and the team scored 24 league goals under him, only conceding 9. Hiddink gained a great rapport with the squad, even getting down on the dancefloor and busting out some moves with Drogba et al in the FA Cup celebrations.

But then Hiddink again did the honourable thing, sticking to his word and returning to the Russian job. They have kept him on at Stamford Bridge as a technical advisor though, which in my opinion means; next time the job comes available, it's yours.

The Dutchman would've been welcomed with open arms by all involved at Stamford Bridge; players, staff and fans, but he has gone back to Russia and it seems Chelsea have wasted no time in securing their other target; Carlo Ancelotti.

Why Ancelotti?

Technically he hasn't been confirmed yet (though depending when you read this, he may well have by then, as it seems imminent), but it is pretty much being taken as read that he will be the Blues's manager next season. What made him a Chelsea target then? For me there's just one short answer to that;

The Champions League.

The biggest cup in club football is Abramovich's main aim but to date it has eluded him. Carlo Ancelotti however, has reached the final of the competition 3 times, winning twice and narrowly missing out on the other in penalties.

The success in this competition made Ancelotti the target and he surely knows the pressure is on him to repeat this success with Chelsea. With this thought hanging over his head and the fact that Hiddink is ready and waiting to succeed him if he fails, it shows that Ancelotti has a lot of belief in his own abilities.

So the stage is set, the stakes are high and the challenge begins now, with the transfer window as his first opponent in his Chelsea career. Let's see what you have in you Carlo.