Hiddink should remain with Chelsea

While his tenure as manager at Chelsea will come to an end after this season, Guus Hiddink still has much to offer in West London.

Much has been made of Chelsea FC during this campaign. The players they bring in (or failed to bring in), the youngsters they play, and the trophies they win (or haven’t won).

This season has been one to forget, with mostly negative outcomes across the board. However, the few positives that were achieved, can mostly be attributed to Guus Hiddink.

The Dutchman took over from Jose Mourinho in December, with Chelsea fans not sure what to expect. They know it would be on an interim basis, but they weren’t sure the effect that he’d have on the team.

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A lot had happened between Hiddink’s first stint with the club and his return. His stock had taken a significant fall, with failed tenures at several clubs and international programs.

However, Hiddink’s return to Stamford Bridge must be seen as a positive. And for this reason, he must stay with the club after this season.

Obviously with Antonio Conte appointed as First Team Head Coach, Hiddink would not be expected to manage the squad.

However, the Dutchman should remain within upper management. He needs to be there to continue the progress he’s made with the club this season.

Under the 69-year-old, Chelsea purchased the likes of Matt Miazga and Alexandre Pato. Both have made intriguing debut’s for the club (even if Pato’s took quite a while).

Hiddink was also responsible for beginning to incorporate Chelsea’s youth, more so than they had been in some time. It seems that his intentions are to continue to do so in the remaining matches this season.

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In his press conference today he stated, “We have a few injured players so we will bring in some youngsters.”

With nothing to play for, it makes sense that the Blues learn the full depths of their talent pool. It’s the only thing that’s keeping Chelsea fans interested at this point. It’s a wise move by Chelsea’s caretaker.

This is the type of thinking that demands that Hiddink stay past this season. He needs to be around to make sure that his ideologies continue to be taken into consideration.

For too long now, managers have come and gone, had full charge of the team, haven’t played the youngsters and ultimately failed to stay long-term. Hiddink can help to assure that this pattern slows in West London.

Chelsea have already taken the first step in this process by naming Conte the First Team Head Coach.

Many people have assumed this means more of a role for Michael Emenalo, Chelsea’s current technical director. Given Chelsea’s failed transfer dealings in the last year, this is worrisome for most Chelsea fans.

However, what if this was instead leaving room for Hiddink to have a continued influence within the side?

In this way, he can help Conte to manage the transfer dealings, the scouting network, the youngster’s progress and implementation. This will allow for the incoming Italian to focus on the first team, and allow for Hiddink to take care of the business side.

In this way, Chelsea can move into the future with a better system in place. But this obviously depends on a few factors.

Firstly, it means that Hiddink and Conte must get along well, as their roles would depend on each other.

This first step seems to already be in motion as Hiddink has backed Conte to be successful with the club. The Dutchman had this to say on the Italian:

"“It’s the choice of the club and when you look at his record he had a good spell at Juventus, where he won the title in Italy. That’s always good because this club is always keen to play for titles. It’s a big job regardless of the circumstances Chelsea have been in this year. He is equipped, able and used to the pressure which is always on at big clubs to win titles.”"

That’s a large vote of confidence from Hiddink.

Furthermore, it demands that Chelsea’s board, namely Emenalo, must have the back of these two men.

Remember, Conte left Juventus after winning three straight titles because he didn’t have enough say over the transfers. This can’t repeat itself in West London.

Finally, it means that Conte must be willing to utilize the youth ranks at Stamford Bridge in the first team, something he has been prone to do in the past.

His work with Pogba at Juventus speaks for itself, as the Frenchman has become the most sought after player in the world at just 23.

Overall, it is in Chelsea’s best interest that Guus Hiddink remains part of the fray in West London. His knowledge of the club, coupled with his footballing experience is invaluable. If the Blues can convince him to stay he should.

He already seems open to the concept of staying, given his quote at today’s press conference.

“If needed, I’m available for the club. This is a club which I love very much.”

Those are the words of a man who belongs at Chelsea. It’s tough to come across people who understand a club as deeply as Hiddink.

Allowing him to depart would be a monumental mistake, and Chelsea can not afford to make anymore of those.