Fabregas says Chelsea will miss outgoing Mourinho

Chelsea elected to sack Jose Mourinho after “palpable discord between manager and players” left the club “in trouble”, technical director Michael Emenalo revealed on Thursday.

But Pellegrini believes his own record at the Etihad Stadium stands up well, winning the Premier League and League Cup in his first season, before finishing runners-up to Mourinho’s Chelsea last term.

But the Russian billionaire opted for Italian Carlo Ancelotti while Hiddink went on to coach Turkey, Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala and most recently his native Netherlands.

Guus Hiddink confirmed on Friday that he is in talks to take over as Chelsea interim manager following Jose Mourinho’s sacking.

Chelsea’s former assistant manager Ray Wilkins branded Hiddink “absolutely perfect” to step in and arrest the Blues’ slump between now and the end of the season.

The Dutchman was recently in Sydney for a ten-year anniversary celebration of the World Cup qualification over Uruguay at ANZ Stadium.

The saddest part about Jose Mournho’s exit from Chelsea is the unforgettable image of man dis-assembling a cardboard cut out of himself.

“I find it irresponsible from a players” point of view, especially when they come out after the game and say: “We’ve done that for the old manager'”.

“Thank you doesn’t seem enough”.

“We know the players have a responsibility to prove everyone wrong and to show a level of commitment to the decision thats been made to try to get the club up the table”. “The very best I have EVER worked with, unbelievable memories together”.

The official Socceroos Twitter feed announced: “Our former boss has taken charge at @ChelseaFC – Good luck Guus!”

Chelsea said that Mourinho “will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea” and “will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge”.

Last year’s defending champions are now placed at the 16th position in the Premier League.

“I want to gather as much information as possible”.

The former Chelsea caretaker was installed as the odds-on favourite to replace Mourinho in the immediate aftermath of Chelsea’s announcement on Thursday afternoon – with ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss Juande Ramos reportedly being also under consideration as a shock alternative.

Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, who claimed a shock 1-0 win over Mourinho’s Chelsea this month to add to their woes, said Mourinho had succumbed to the trend that has resulted in five Premier League coaches leaving so far this season.