Hiddink considers Chelsea future

Guus Hiddink suggested on Saturday that he may stay on and act in a consultancy role at Chelsea after his stint as interim manager runs out at the end of the season.

The Dutchman was brought in to replace sacked Luiz Felipe Scolari and combine his job as coach of Russia with managing Chelsea where his contract expires on May 31.

Hiddink has denied that he might stay on at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of the season, but he now appears open to maintaining some sort of link with the club.

“There had to be a contract or my work in Chelsea would be impossible from a legal point of view,” Hiddink told Saturday’s The Daily Mail.

“Yes, there is such a contract. It expires on May 31. They offered me to continue working for them after that date as a consultant.

“I’ll need to have a look at how the situation is going to develop. Maybe I can be useful for Chelsea in that role.”

A potential barrier to Hiddink staying on in London in some capacity has been removed after a key figure in the Russian FA claimed he was happy for him to continue his dual role.

General secretary of the Russian FA Alexey Sorokin revealed that his employers would be open to the existing situation continuing beyond May.

“If Chelsea say they would like to continue we are ready to discuss it with the owners,” he said.

“We are comfortable with the situation. We would be uncomfortable if it were a Russian club because when a coach comes from a Russian club to the national team he tends to look after his players more than the players from other clubs. But there is no such contradiction here.

“If he says he can handle it, we have no reasons not to believe it. He is a responsible person with a lot of experience and if he takes that responsibility he will perform for certain.”