This does not look good for Roberto Di Matteo's chances of staying on at Chelsea, at least as manager. Days after winning the most coveted prize a European club can hope to get and adding the oldest football trophy in the world to that bag, the club owner and the technical director are the ones calling the shots on the transfers.
Di Matteo has had no word on whether he will be made permanent and has been completely out of the picture with owner Roman Abramovich and technical director Michael Emenalo, spending £32m to reel Eden Hazard in, ready to splash another £38m to bring Hulk to Chelsea. Emenalo has picked who he thinks will help Chelsea win back the Premiership title while Abramovich has been working the phones. Meanwhile, influential players like John Terry and Ashley Cole have been notably silent on keeping Di Matteo at Stamford Bridge. The Italian's contract runs out end of June.
There are enough tea leaves here to show that Di Matteo is not in the forefront of the oligarch's consideration for the manager's job. Pep Guardiola appears to his first choice, Fabio Capello could be another. Abramovich had also cast his eye at Juergen Klopp and Brendan Rodgers as replacements for Andre Villas -Boas, an indication that he favours younger managers with reputations of building successful teams who playing attacking football in charge of a new generation of Chelsea players.
With both Klopp and Rodgers involved in their present commitments someone like Rudy Garcia in charge of Lille could fit the bill. Garcia developed Eden Hazard and it is not far fetched to think a reunion of manager and player at Stamford Bridge would be beneficial to Chelsea's future success.
Abramovic is a crazy man..