Mark Hughes has been identified by senior figures at
Chelsea as a leading candidate to take over as their manager in the
summer if, as expected, Jose Mourinho leaves Stamford
Bridge.
The Blackburn Rovers manager, who had a productive three-year spell
with Chelsea towards the end of his playing career, has transformed
Rovers since taking over from Graeme Souness in September 2004 and
will send his side out against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final
this month. The Premiership champions admire the job the
43-year-old has done at Ewood Park with Rovers comfortably avoiding
relegation in his first season and finishing sixth last term to
qualify for the Uefa Cup.
Mourinho has a contract until 2010 but there is an acceptance at
Chelsea, rarely expressed publicly, that the breakdown in his
relationship with Roman Abramovich will see him leave in the
summer, regardless of whether he steers the team to an
unprecedented quadruple. They have won the Carling Cup and could
add the Champions League, the Premiership and the FA Cup before the
end of the season.
While Chelsea have offered no comment on Mourinho's future, a
number of high- profile potential successors have been mentioned,
including the Barcelona coach, Frank Rijkaard, and Marcello Lippi,
who won the World Cup with Italy last summer. The Russia coach,
Guus Hiddink, would also be in contention, although Hughes'
credentials are also viewed favourably within the upper echelons at
Chelsea.
With Abramovich reluctant to maintain the lavish level of spending
Mourinho has enjoyed, there is a sense that the summer would
provide a timely opportunity for a shift in emphasis towards a
British-style set-up. That will have an impact on transfer policy -
the Reading midfielder Steve Sidwell, a free agent in the summer,
has attracted interest - but also their managerial approach.
Hughes is one of the strongest British contenders given his
relative success during a five-year spell in charge of Wales, with
whom he narrowly failed to qualify for Euro 2004. He has made
further strides this season, with Blackburn revived in the league
after a sluggish start and reaching the knock-out stages of the
Uefa Cup and a second FA Cup semi-final in three years.
