Rafael Benítez will express an
interest in managing Chelsea if Roman Abramovich, as anticipated, opts
to part company with Carlo Ancelotti this summer.
The Spaniard, who spent six years at Liverpool and claimed the
2005 European Cup, has been out of work since being sacked by
Internazionale in December after a disappointing six-month spell at
San Siro. He has since returned to live on Merseyside and last week
publicly expressed an interest in returning to management in the
Premier League.
Chelsea would offer him an attractive opportunity at a club
competing in the Champions League – the Londoners still harbour
some hopes of retaining their league title – and the 51-year-old is
understood to be keen to be considered should Ancelotti's two-year
period in charge end next month. Abramovich and the club's chief
executive, Ron Gourlay, will be aware of his interest but will not
make a decision on the Italian's future before the end of the
current campaign.
Benítez would represent a high-calibre candidate for the
position given his availability and desire to work in England – "If
I have good offers from abroad it will be OK, but my priority is to
return to the Premier league," he said earlier this month – with
his relationship with Fernando Torres, whom he originally signed
for Liverpool from Atlético Madrid, being a further attraction. The
pair remain in contact, with Benítez having suggested recently that
the £50m forward, who has yet to score for Chelsea, would benefit
from working with a Spanish manager.
Whether the Londoners' supporters would take as keenly to
Benítez's potential candidature is more open to question given the
fractious nature of games between Chelsea, particularly under José
Mourinho, and Liverpool during his time on Merseyside. Yet
Abramovich may consider the Spaniard's record in Europe – he also
won a Uefa Cup with Valencia and lost to Ancelotti's Milan in the
final of the 2007 Champions League – as compelling.
The lack of credible candidates to replace Ancelotti,
particularly with Guus Hiddink unlikely to be considered for the
managerial position, could yet lead to the Italian seeing out the
final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge. The incumbent would
like to remain at the club and his prospects would be enhanced
should Chelsea extend their recent form.
Ancelotti, whose team entertain West Ham United tomorrow
evening, remains only cautiously optimistic that the Premier League
title can still be retained despite a run of six wins in seven
matches that has seen Chelsea vault Arsenal into second place,
albeit still six points from the summit. The Londoners are still to
visit Old Trafford and will hope that United may yet be distracted
by their imminent participation in the Champion League semi-finals
against Schalke, and potentially a subsequent final, though
Ancelotti is realistic.
"If we want to have a chance we have to think that we have to
win every game," Ancelotti said. "We have to be honest with
ourselves. I would like to be in United's position, six points
ahead, because if they do not lose total control they will win [the
title]. The title is in their hands – we have to be honest about
that – but we also have to believe that we can win every game left,
including at Old Trafford like we did last year.
"And our moment is good. It has been in the league, but also in
the last 16 of the Champions League against Copenhagen it was good.
We could have done better against United (in the quarter-finals),
and we were close to doing better. But the team started to play
well when we recovered our important players. When they came back
to be fit, the team has started playing well again."
