Those who knew Guus Hiddink best from his previous dalliance with Chelsea temper their praise for the man. He is, they concede, as professional as they come, but also aloof. He is "not the easiest to work with at times", and there is an edge to him that can unnerve. Yet, in those veiled criticisms, there is also an explanation for the Dutchman's remarkable longevity in such a fickle sport: this is a man who commands respect.
Hiddink was hired in February 2009 as "a firefighter", charged with securing Champions League qualification as Chelsea's season threatened to unravel towards the end of Luiz Felipe Scolari's unhappy tenure. By the time he was filmed smoking celebratory cigars with Roman Abramovich in the Wembley changing rooms, the champagne glugging into the FA Cup at his feet, his was mission more than accomplished. There were times over a run-in that brought 34 points from a possible 39 when a title challenge seemed revived. Tactical fluidity, silverware and a sense of injustice at the manner of European elimination to Barcelona established Hiddink's status: that three-month cameo in the dug-out made him an icon.
It is to those fond memories that Chelsea are clinging now. The hierarchy consider the Dutchman the figure who united the club after the damaging split with José Mourinho, and the failure of Avram Grant and Scolari to follow convincingly in the Portuguese's footsteps. At the time the players needed to be pulled back into shape having meandered through the latter days of the Brazilian's spell at the club. That squad appeared stretched and weary at times over Carlo Ancelotti's last season in charge and, with Abramovich's football director, Frank Arnesen, and a number of the scouting staff having now left, and some senior players to follow, the owner will see Hiddink as the man to oversee a shift in this club's development over the coming months.
The oligarch has leant on Hiddink at times over the past two years, seeking advice on an ad hoc and unpaid basis and, even if results with Russia and Turkey have hardly impressed, respect remains undiminished. Hiddink, after all, was the man even Abramovich could not prise from a contract with his own Russian Football Federation. The ideal scenario would be to secure him as the manager, preferably in time to have assessed the job in hand ahead of the players' return to pre-season training on 4 July. A role as technical director – a job the 64‑year‑old might instinctively favour given the prospect of 10-hour days at Cobham – could also be a long-term objective particularly if a younger coach is groomed to work under him and, potentially, take over full-time in the future.
Chelsea are still pondering how best to restructure post-Arnesen. There remains the possibility that, should Hiddink become head coach, then the sporting director role will become defunct and a chief scout appointed instead. Decisions are still to be taken, and may also hinge on whether the Dutchman is secured. Of course, taking on this job in the close season after a trophyless campaign, with an ageing squad and key decisions to be made, would be very different to playing Red Adair midway through a season. Yet, the veteran's mere presence would offer reassurance at a time of relative upheaval, and supply some level of stability. Even continuity, given his previous association with the club.
A playing staff perhaps pining for Ancelotti would welcome Hiddink's return. In 2009 a squad that had squabbled through Scolari's tenure relished working with him. Fitness levels improved. He experimented with players in different positions – Branislav Ivanovic at full-back, Michael Ballack as an anchoring midfielder – and started reinventing this club's image, a process that was maintained by Ancelotti in his Double-winning first campaign in charge.
Mikel John Obi welcomed the manager's ability to "kick you up the arse and wake you up" at times. "He creates a buzz about the place," said John Terry. "When he walks into a room everyone's on the edge of their seats. That's the respect we have for the man. He doesn't talk long in team meetings. Mourinho was very much the same. We will always have that special connection with Jose, and I am sure we will have the same with Guus as well." That connection may about to be renewed.
