Ancelotti set for Chelsea as he quits Milan
ITALIAN coach Carlo Ancelotti last night paved the way for his expected arrival at Chelsea by parting company with AC Milan – and admitted he would like to bring Brazil superstar Kaka with him.
Ancelotti is tipped to this week be confirmed as the replacement for Guus Hiddink, who completed a successful stint as temporary Blues boss by lifting the FA Cup on Saturday.
And senior Chelsea pair John Terry and Michael Ballack (right) have already thrown their weight behind the decorated Ancelotti to bring further trophies to Stamford Bridge.
Ancelotti – a European Cup winner as a player and manager – confirmed his departure from the San Siro following a 2-0 win over Fiorentina that guaranteed their Champions League qualification.
He denied an agreement was already in place with Chelsea, saying “this is not the day for that”, but said his next job would not be in Italy.
“I have had eight great years here and I want to thank everybody who has been with me over these years. That is all I can say,” said the former Italy midfielder. “I am certainly not staying in Italy. But it is not certain that I am going to London for sure either.”
Ancelotti added that he would like to take former Fifa World Player of the Year Kaka to his next club, but admitted he would be hard to prise away from Milan.
“There is one player I would like to take, but I cannot take him with me,” he said.
Captain Terry, however, expects Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to bankroll big-name signings this summer. He said: “I think we’ll see Chelsea back and competing for the top players who are out there at the moment like Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Valencia striker David Villa.”
England skipper Terry gave his endorsement to the appointment of Ancelotti, who won one Serie A title and two Champions Leagues as Milan boss. He added: “I think a few of the backroom staff have worked with him before, and Chelsea and ex-Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko speaks very highly of him. Knowing him and knowing us, it could be the start of something very good.”
Midfielder Ballack, who confirmed he is set to sign a new one-year contract at the west London club, said of Ancelotti: “It looks like he will be the coach next year. I don’t know him very well. But he has had great success with AC Milan. I think that’s what we need at Chelsea, we need consistency.”