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Guus Hiddink may have changed his mind about the Chelsea job

By Rucker Haringey

PARIS, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 16: Guus Hiddink manager of Chelsea is interviewed prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea at Parc des Princes on February 16, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 16: Guus Hiddink manager of Chelsea is interviewed prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea at Parc des Princes on February 16, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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Guus Hiddink’s behavior as of late is that of a man who is interested in staying at Chelsea past this season

As rumors swirl around Stamford Bridge about Antonio Conte’s impending arrival at Chelsea, interim boss Guus Hiddink just keeps winning matches. His latest remarks to the press make me think he might be interested in staying on past this season.

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A change of heart for Hiddink would certainly make quite a few Chelsea players happy. As recently as this week, Oscar came out and openly admitted that he’d like Hiddink to take over on a permanent basis. That’s no surprise given the manager’s affable personality and the success he’s enjoyed after taking over for Jose Mourinho.

Despite the pleas of his players, Hiddink has remained consistent in the press with his declarations that he is not interested in staying past this season. For a long time I believed the Dutchman, but a subtle change in his behavior as of late has me rethinking that position.

Today provided the best example of Hiddink trying to lose his soft reputation with the press. With his benching of Baba Rahman at the half of his club’s comeback victory over Southampton, Hiddink characterized the decision as proof of his willingness to make “harsh decisions.” Those words struck me as the sentiments of a man who has bigger aspirations than just playing out the season so he can retire gracefully.

The only logical reason that Hiddink is worried about proving to anyone that he’s willing to make tough decisions is if he’s concerned about what will happen to his employment after this season. I can hardly imagine him landing a job better than the one he has at Chelsea, so it stands to reason that he is angling to stay on at Stamford Bridge.

Hiddink has every right to openly advocate for the job given his performance this season. He took over a club in utter shambles in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho’s mind games and has stabilized them in remarkably short order. He has Chelsea playing like, well, Chelsea again. Blues owner Roman Abramovich could not have hoped for better results when he appointed the former Russian boss.

While the timing wasn’t right for Hiddink to stay on in 2009 because of his status as the Russian manager, it’s perfect timing for the Dutchman this time around. He’s at the stage of his life where he should be looking for his last job. Why not stay and build on the success he’s started at Chelsea? Taking the time to start all over again somewhere else doesn’t make a ton of sense for a 69-year-old manager. His two choices likely come down to retirement or managing to stay on with the Premier League giants.

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If you’re willing to read into Guus Hiddink’s words and actions as of late it’s pretty clear that he wants to extend his stay at Chelsea. Roman Abramovich would be wise to make his players happy and give the Dutchman his wish.

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