Chelsea have assured Roberto Di Matteo he is not simply keeping the seat warm for Pep Guardiola after appointing the Italian as their permanent manager.
There is little doubt Roman Abramovich’s delay in rewarding Di Matteo for winning a stunning European and FA Cup double had much to do with his interest in the former Barcelona manager.
But Di Matteo was not interested in simply holding the fort until Guardiola decides to come off a sabbatical that looks like stretching to a year.
It was why he insisted on a two-year contract and in the end it was also why Abramovich decided he was the right man to lead Chelsea into the new season.
The Russian billionaire has been impressed with the way Di Matteo has handled the players and also how he conducted himself when pressed about his future.
As Sportsmail revealed, Abramovich decided last week that he wanted Di Matteo to stay and on Wednesday night the club confirmed the news officially.
Di Matteo said: ‘I’m delighted to have been appointed as manager and first-team coach.
‘We achieved incredible success last season that made history for this great club. Our aim is to continue building on that.’
By MATT LAWTON
No comments:
Post a Comment