Abramovich Decided to Hire This Manager after Failing to Sign Guardiola

Earlier this month, Man City announced that current Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola will take charge of the club in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea were also strongly linked with the former Barcelona manager, but they failed to convince him to move to Stamford Bridge.

Oliver Kay of the Times has revealed that Blues Owner Roman Abramovich has been obsessed with Guardiola for a long time and has attempted to sign him in the past.

According to Kay, Chelsea’s tendency to sack their managers made them an unattractive proposition in the eyes of the Spaniard and that prompted Guardiola to join City.

Kay further adds that Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and Italy national team’s coach Antonio Conte are the leading candidates for the Chelsea job at the moment.

“Allegri and Conte are the two names buzzing around. Guardiola is the guy Abramovich has been obsessed with for as long as Man City have,” Kay said on Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement. “When it came to it, they were not in the position to get him because they’ve made themselves look an unappealing proposition.

“Allegri is a completely different type of manager. He’s obviously a very good manager, but they have been obsessed with Guardiola for a long, long time.

“When are Chelsea going to appoint that manager that sees them through three years, let alone 18 months? It just seems with Chelsea that it’s always a case of: ‘Who is available?’ rather than having a plan.”

Blues’ current manager Guus Hiddink is the ninth man to charge of the Blues since the end of Jose Mourinho’s first spell at the club in September 2007.
Following the 1-1 draw with Man Utd last night, the West London club sit 13th in the table, 17 points behind fourth-placed Man City.

With only 13 games remaining in the season, they are certain to miss out on a Champions League spot this season.