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Ancelotti announced Chelsea coach
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-02 16:02 LONDON: Chelsea yesterday confirmed the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as their new manager on a three-year contract.
He will succeed Guus Hiddink, who stood down as interim coach at Stamford Bridge after Saturday's FA Cup final victory against Everton.
Former Champions League winner Ancelotti has agreed to a three-year contract with the Blues, believed to be worth 6.5 million pounds a year (7.4 million euros), and will officially take charge on July 1. A statement on the club's website confirmed: "Carlo was the outstanding candidate for the job. "He has proved over a long period his ability to build teams that challenged for, and have been successful in, major domestic and European competitions. "He also had a highly successful playing career in those competitions and therefore brings unparalleled all round experience to the job." Ancelotti's appointment comes a year after the Italian first spoke to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich about the job. The 49-year-old wrote in his recent autobiography that when he met Abramovich after former Blues boss Avram Grant was sacked, the Russian billionaire admitted he wanted a team with more 'personality'. Ancelotti is attractive to Abramovich after winning two Champions League titles with Milan in 2003 and 2007 and now he will get the chance to fulfil Abramovich's wish for a more entertaining team who can finally succeed in Europe's elite club competition. Speaking on Chelsea's website, Ancelotti said: "Milan was a great experience - for five years I played with a a great team, with a lot of success, and then spent eight years training a great team," he said. "Now it is time for a change and Chelsea. For me it is a great experience with a great team." He is likely to be given a substantial transfer kitty, with bids for Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery, Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo, Valencia striker David Villa and CSKA Moscow winger Yuri Zhirkov all on the cards. Ancelotti, who also won the Italian title with Milan in 2004, has previously coached at Reggiana, Parma and Juventus. His track record of success dates back to his playing days when he also won two league titles and two European Cups with Milan. He becomes the fifth Chelsea manager in 21 months following Jose Mourinho, Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Hiddink. Ancelotti will take over a squad who won their first trophy of the post-Mourinho era on Saturday. That FA Cup final victory - the club's first piece at silverware since 2007 - brought a triumphant end to the brief reign of Hiddink, who has resumed his role as Russia coach on a full-time basis. But while Hiddink is gone, it won't be easy for Ancelotti to replicate the Dutchman's impact in west London. Hiddink earned huge respect in the Chelsea dressing room with his direct, open approach, in contrast to the laidback style of his predecessor Scolari, who was unable to get his message across due to his lack of English. Ancelotti is believed to have spent several months learning English in preparation for his move to the Bridge, but is still some way from being fluent. Although he gave an interview in English to Chelsea's website to announce his arrival, he admitted it would be hard to grasp the language immediately. "For me it is not easy. I want to learn, I want to improve and when we start the new season I want to speak well because it is important for me to speak with the players, the team, the assistant and the people who will work with me," he said. "I would like to thank the Milan team, the company, the fans, the players. But now I think it is the right moment to challenge and I want to put all my energies into Chelsea." AFP/Reuters |
