The gamble is on Hughes after Chelsea skipper speaks out
Published:The Mark Hughes saga continued yesterday after Chelsea captain John Terry admitted he would be more than happy to see the former Fulham manager replace Carlo Ancelotti.
Hughes was backed in to 5/2 last night after Guus Hiddink remained coy about his Turkey future following their draw with Belgium, and the next Chelsea manager betting would suggest it’s a two-horse race.
John Terry yesterday urged Roman Abramovich to speak to both Hiddink and Hughes about replacing Carlo Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge, and the Chelsea skipper admitted he would be happy with either manager taking the reins.
Former Wales manager Hughes seemed certain to be heading to Aston Villa following his spectacular walkout on Fulham on Thursday night, and while Hughes remains the 11/8 favourite to take charge at Villa, he was at one point 1/10 to be at Villa Park next season.
There has been a huge gamble on Hughes following Terry’s comments yesterday and as a former Chelsea player, he already has big links with the club although it may not be the most popular appointment with the Chelsea faithful.
Hiddink remains the number one target for Abramovich and is the favoured candidate among the Chelsea faithful, but the Dutchman has a busy week with Turkey and talks have slowed on that front.
The early gamble on Harry Redknapp has backfired with the Tottenham Hotspur manager now 7/2 to take charge at Chelsea, although admidst all the speculation, Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas remains steady at 6/1.
Villas-Boas’s odds have moved very little since Ancelotti left at the end of the season and many believe he is the man to guide Chelsea to Champions League glory.
In the mould of Jose Mourinho, Villas-Boas has experience of working at Chelsea and after guiding Porto to an unbeaten league season, a domestic cup and the Europa League, Villas-Boas remains the darkhorse and value for the Chelsea job.
