So it’s Andre Villas Boas then? No confirmation from either clubs or Andre’s agent but now they look only like a formality. As Chelsea fans, we are very familiar with this feeling of ‘all but done’. We’ve seen this a million times. Most of these haven’t gone in our favour but the last few occasions have been quite memorable – the ones involving Torres and David Luiz.

Bets are off for Andre Villas-Boas as the next Chelsea manager and this is what Chelsea FC has had to say:

We hope to be able to make an announcement regarding the new manager in the next few days or so, but until then we will not be commenting further on the speculation surrounding that appointment.

Few weeks back when I wrote about ‘The Right One’, I had spelt out my expectations for the next Chelsea manager:

I really hope someone who’s under 50 and comes to Chelsea to prove a point than to treat this as a retirement plan. For me, lack of track record is not a problem, poor track record is. A young, confident, courageous and ambitious manager is what I’m looking for. Not easy, I know. Anyway, it shouldn’t be that easy to find a manager for a club like Chelsea FC. After all, we’re talking about ‘The Right One’.

I think Andre Villas-Boas fits the bill perfectly. Some might think that he doesn’t have the pedigree to be the manager of a club like Chelsea. I didn’t think even Pep had enough pedigree (despite being their player and B team manager) to manage Barcelona. I think Andre has the fire in his belly to be successful in football management. Plus, he has his ideals and principles. He speaks very good English. In my books, he ticks all the boxes.

Some are of the opinion that he’s too young to gain the respect of the Chelsea players. I think this one’s a weak argument. He’s a European title winner at 33 with Porto. This is no joke. He will demand respect for his managerial talent and not for his age. That’s how it always works in sports. The talent matters and not the age.

This is a sport where young captains have led the teams that had older and more senior players. Tony Adams was 21 when he became the captain and he was one of Arsenal’s best captains ever. George Graham didn’t think if young Tony would get the respect of his colleagues. He made the right choice and Tony would continue to captain Arsenal for more than a decade.

Will Andre Villas-boas be able to cope up with the much-reported ‘player power’ at Chelsea, if it really exists? I don’t see a reason why he should not. He’s young, he’s so young that there could be some Chelsea players older than him. John Terry wasn’t the oldest when he became our captain. He too was young but he meant business. That’s all Andre needs to do. If he means business, he’s home. By the looks of it, he looks like someone who means business.

This episode hasn’t changed my stance one bit. I would still love to have Hiddink at Chelsea, probably as a football director and as a link between the owner and the team management/players. Under the support and guidance of Hiddink, a young and hungry manager like Andre should really do well. If age and experience are a concern, Hiddink and Andre should complement very well.

This whole ‘Andre to Chelsea’ has got me hyper-excited. I think Roman will once again show how much he cares about Chelsea FC. Expect him to pay the release clause of £12m to get ‘The Right One’. Fingers crossed.

Possibility of Andre Villas-Boas as the Chelsea manager. You are . . .

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