Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel claimed "99 per cent" of the Chelsea squad want Guus Hiddink to "stay on as the club’s permanent manager past the end of this season," according to Matt Law of the London TELEGRAPH. Owner Roman Abramovich appointed Hiddink as Chelsea’s interim manager following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in December and the Dutchman "has proved to be a big hit -- just as he was in his first caretaker spell" in '09 when he lifted the FA Cup. Chelsea is unbeaten in the Premier League under Hiddink, still has "a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League" and is through to the last eight of the FA Cup. He has also "rejuvenated a number of the players, including Mikel and striker Diego Costa, who has scored nine goals in 12 games." Abramovich and Technical Dir Michael Emenalo are "currently going through the process of doing due diligence on their top targets for the permanent job," who include Antonio Conte, Diego Simeone, Jorge Sampaoli and Massimiliano Allegri. Mikel, who played under Hiddink in '09, said, "If you speak to the players, 98 or 99 percent of them want Guus to stay so I mean, we are very happy, we are performing well and let’s hope this continues. Obviously, definitely, I want him to stay. It is the choice of the owner, the club and the board. They will have to decide" (TELEGRAPH, 2/22).
