Carlo Ancelotti quit AC Milan yesterday to take over as boss of Chelsea. And the Italian coach will be given £50million to help bring the Premier League trophy back to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have confirmed Ancelotti, 49, will take control on July 1 after signing a three-year contract. A club statement said:
“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. We are sure everybody at Chelsea will give him a warm welcome and we are all looking forward to working with him.”
After his last game with Milan — a 2-0 win at Fiorentina — Ancelotti said:
“In agreement with the club, we have decided to terminate the contract a year early. It was decided by mutual consent after the game. Our roads will separate next season.”
At least three new stars are on the radar with owner Roman Abramovich giving Ancelotti the biggest Blues transfer budget since Jose Mourinho. It is the first time in two seasons the Russian owner has dipped into his own pocket to buy players.
SunSport revealed last week Chelsea have already agreed a deal for CSKA Moscow attacking midfielder Yuri Zhirkhov. Both Bayern Munich’s French winger Franck Ribery and Valencia’s Spain striker David Villa have already been targeted.
Ancelotti has also authorised the sale of Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Deco.
Meanwhile, Blues skipper John Terry revealed he and his team-mates are already looking forward to welcoming some big names to Stamford Bridge. He said:
“There needs to be a couple of changes, a few players brought in, maybe. A few players who haven’t played in the last couple of years maybe need to move on. We’ll see Chelsea back and competing for the top players who are out there at the moment. The likes of Ribery, Villa — these are the kind of players we want to attract. We need those kind of players to strengthen the side and, at the same time, we need to keep hold of lads like Didier Drogba, Ashley and Joe Cole, who are up for contract talks. When big players become available, we need to show people and let them know that, yes, Chelsea are back.”
Not sure if this is the best move for Chelsea. There is no doubt that he was brought in to win the Champions League, but his league performance was not very good at Milan. The pressure on Ancelotti to win the Champions League next year will be huge. Can he do it?
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