Roman Abramovich can have anything in the world, for the most part. He bought himself a place in the press box at Stamford Bridge and we'd be surprised if he doesn't have a crown and cloak tucked away somewhere in one of his private villas in the South of France. Money is but an object for the Russian billionaire.
Why, then, is he finding it so hard to find a football coach he can trust for a prolonged period of time. A kindred spirit who shares his love for beautiful football that can guarantee trophies.
A sizeable task, sure, but it can't be impossible. Isn't it ironic that at a time of year when people are supposed to feel loved and grateful, we see so many managers binned and replaced by newer, shinier coaches that promise everything the last one couldn't. We've put together a list of newer and shinier coaches that might fulfil Abramovich's criteria.
Most likely
Carlo Ancelotti - The Italian football aristocrat has been out of work having been shafted by the meddling Florentino Perez at Real Madrid last summer. He appears keen on a return to management and his name has been thrown around several times for various positions.
He said recently that, "The most important thing is to find a club with a good project and be competitive. If it's in England, it's better."
The only problem might be his sacking back in 2011 when he failed to win the Premier League title. This, however, should not be too much of a stumbling block as there are few coaches in the world at this point who have not been sacked by Abramovich.
Ancelotti, seemingly, has no problems winning European trophies but has struggled in domestic league competitions. He did not win a La Liga title in his last job despite winning the Champions League. This was also his downfall at Chelsea, as previously stated, the last time around.
Pep Guardiola - Guardiola has stated that he will leave Bayern at the end of the season. Manchester City and Manchester United are in line to land the Spanish manager but Miguel Delaney told Off The Ball last night that a move to London could not be ruled out.
Guardiola would as good as guarantee success for Chelsea. It would take a lot of rebuilding based on the fact that Guardiola needs dynamic midfielders in his squad and versatile defenders but who better to offer up the cash than Roman Abramovich.
Hiddink's imminent appointment could be in order to sound out Pep. Watch this space.
Brendan Rodgers - For all the memes, vines and jokes made about Rodger's fascination with character, he almost brought a title to Liverpool for the first time in 19 years. He was a coach at the club between 2004 and 2008 but plays a distinctly different style than Mourinho and what Chelsea have played for years.
Having gone for the continental option so often before, maybe Abramovich will take a look at an English coach to take Chelsea to the next level. Rodgers is also quite malleable, something that Abramovich might like after dealing with Mourinho, as we saw from the firing of his assistant coaches at the start of last year.
Least Likely
Juande Ramos - Ramos has not coached in the Premier League since he took over at Tottenham for the 2007-08 season.
The truth about this one is that Ramos was very close to getting the job ahead of Hiddink but it fell through at the last minute over a change of heart from Abramovich.
This could be for several reasons. Perhaps Abramovich does not want to throw his future coach on as the captain of a sinking ship. He might also be keeping his trump card for the summer when he can start afresh with new signings galore.
Fabio Capello - Capello might be a long shot but he threw his name into contention recently when he said, "Is my future at Chelsea? I do not miss the bench, but if something interesting comes along, why not?"
Capello will go wherever the money is but if Abramovich is looking for long term security, is 69 year old Capello the way to go? He has not managed a club team since leaving Real Madrid in 2007 and is out of touch with the English game and its landscape.
Diego Simeone - Simeone has overseen the most successful spell in the history of Atletico Madrid. He has helped Atletico to a Europe Liga, a UEFA Super Cup, La Liga title, Copa del Rey and a Spanish Supercopa. He also came up agonizingly short in a bid to win the club's first Champions League.
Simeone would be practically perfect for Chelsea but in theory, it does not make any sense. He does not speak English, has no connection to the Premier League and might not enjoy the instability at Chelsea.
Many of the mainstream football sites are reporting this but it does not make sense on several levels.
He will also not offer the beautiful football that Roman Abramovich craves.
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