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Guus Hiddink replaces Mourinho as Chelsea boss

December 19, 2015

It didn't take long for Chelsea to find their new head coach after the departure of Jose Mourinho. The new man is an experienced hand, but can he save the club from a poor season in the Premier League?

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Guus Hiddink
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Two days after the dismissial of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea announced the appointment of Guus Hiddink as their head coach until the end of the season.

"The owner and the board welcome back a coach with a wealth of top-level experience and success, including his previous spell with the club in 2009 when we lifted the FA Cup," a club statement said.

The experienced Dutch coach, 69, returns to a role he previously held in 2009, when he led Chelsea to a third-place finish in the league, the Champions League semi-finals and glory in the FA Cup after taking over from Luiz Felipe Scolari.

"I am excited to return to Stamford Bridge," Hiddink said in a statement on the Chelsea website. "Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but is not where it should be at the moment. However, I am sure we can all turn this season around."

Chelsea said Hiddink would attend their game against Sunderland on Saturday, but that first-team coach Steve Holland would take charge of the team.

Mourinho, Chelsea's most successful manager, was sacked by the west Londoners for the second time after a run of nine defeats in 16 games saw the champions slump to within a point of the Premier League relegation zone.

jh/apc (AFP, dpa)