Take over from Mourinho? I want him to stay at Chelsea long-term, insists Roberto Di Matteo
Former Blues manager says he’s not interested in a return to Stamford Bridge
Roberto Di Matteo, the manager when Chelsea won the Champions League by beating Bayern Munich on penalties at the German club's Allianz Arena in 2012, is hoping current boss Jose Mourinho remains at the helm for a long time.
The Portuguese has come under severe pressure for the way the Premier League champions have started the season, plunging to fifth from bottom having lost seven of their opening 12 games.
It can happen that you have a bad year but there is so much quality in the team and the club has one of the best managers in the world
“We have short memories but only four months ago we won the [league and League Cup] double,” added the former Chelsea midfielder as he attended the opening of a new ice cream parlour in London part-owned by former team mate Gianfranco Zola.
“Chelsea have been so successful for the last 15 years and it can happen that you have a bad year but there is so much quality in the team and the club has one of the best managers in the world.”
Di Matteo, who had a six-year playing spell at Chelsea from 1996-2002, took over as interim manager when Andre Villas-Boas was sacked in March 2012 and led the club to Champions League and FA Cup final glory two months later.
The Italian then had a short spell in charge of Schalke 04 before he was fired by the Bundesliga team five months ago.