Guus Hiddink and Roberto Mancini, two of the top candidates whose names have been bandied around for the Super Eagles job, are set to snub the country.
UK newspaper, The Guardian reports that Hiddink is preparing to make a return to Chelsea as Technical Director, while his place in Russia is favoured to go to the former Inter Milan coach, who has been out of a job since leaving the Italian champions in May 2008.
In any case, Hiddink’s current stratospheric $8-million annual salary would lead to a huge outcry in Nigeria, unless he is prepared to take a monumental pay-cut to lead a fourth team from a fourth continent to the World Cup.
Berti Vogts, Nigeria’s last foreign coach, was paid $50 000, less than a tenth of the Dutchman’s current monthly wages of around $667 000.
That was still enough to cause national outrage, even though the tab was picked up by a private telecommunications firm rather than with tax payers’ money.
Hiddink has a contract as Russia’s head coach until the end of June 2010, but sources say the Dutchman will almost certainly quit and take a job at Chelsea.
On Saturday, Hiddink told Russia’s Sovietsky Sport newspaper that his future will be sorted soon. “I think my future will be decided relatively quickly,” he said.
The Dutchman expects a formal decision to be made as early as next month but no later than January.
A source close to him did not even mention the Nigeria job in those plans: “He would go back and would be in position [to assist] if something is going not that well.
The Chelsea players like him. He’s already been at the club. There is a proverb in Russian that you can step twice into the same water. It is something he is capable of.”
Ancelotti said yesterday that he would be happy to work with Hiddink. “Guus Hiddink is my friend,” he said before today’s game at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“If he has free time, he can come to Chelsea and we can train together. It’s not a problem.” Jokingly, he added: “Maybe I could take a little holiday.”
There is no question that Hiddink would be welcomed back at Stamford Bridge as he remains on good terms with owner Roman Abramovich, who finances his astronomical wages in Russia.
The 63-year-old had a successful spell as Chelsea’s temporary manager last season, stepping in after the departure of Luiz Felipe Scolari and winning the FA Cup.