Source: Eurosport
Kenyon Silent On Ancelotti Rumours
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has refused to comment on rumours linking the Stamford Bridge club with a move for AC Milan head coach Carlo Ancelotti during the summer.
Ancelotti is expected to be a Chelsea target in the summer when Dutch coach Guus Hiddink ends his temporary role with the Blues to concentrate on his full-time role with the Russia national side.
The Milan coach triggered fresh speculation over his future by hinting he is unlikely to remain at the San Siro indefinitely.
Kenyon, in New York alongside AC Milan director Umberto Gandini to announce a four-team pre-season tournament in the United States this July involving their clubs, Inter Milan and Mexico's Club America, said Chelsea's focus remained on the current campaign with Hiddink in charge.
"I don't want to comment," Kenyon said.
"We are concentrating on Guus being with us until the end of the season.
"He's continuing to progress and win us games so we are all very delighted. The whole agreement was for a short-term, interim period and that is how it remains."
Ancelotti had sparked the fresh speculation when he told Corriere dello Sport: "Of course, I will not coach Milan forever...anything is possible.
"I would like to say goodbye with a hug, but now is not the time and our working relationship is completely in tune."
Kenyon helped to announce the inaugural World Football Challenge, which will see Chelsea play three games in six days across three time zones.
Chelsea, who are also scheduled to play Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders in the Pacific Northwest on July 18, open up against Jose Mourinho's Inter at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Tuesday, July 21 before moving to the east coast to face AC Milan on Friday, July 24 in Baltimore.
The English side then heads west again to Texas to face Club America at the new Dallas Cowboys' stadium in Arlington on Sunday, July 26.
"This is the fifth time out of the last six years that Chelsea have been in the US for our pre-season," Kenyon said.
"We're delighted to be part of this event, the first ever World Football Challenge.
"I think this takes pre-season to a new level. With us will come every one of our first-team squad - our new signings and our existing signings."
The Chelsea chief executive insisted there was not a problem about the schedule in terms of the number of games being played during that nine-day period.
"If you look at our schedule the players will return from the holidays around July 6 and will spend 10 days at our Cobham training facility for medical and fitness work. Then we'll get on the plane.
"Normally we would be looking at six to eight games before the start of our season and the first possible date to start that will be on August 7 for the Charity Shield or August 14 for the first league game.
"So we think there's plenty of time there to get our team in the best possible shape and our coaches are very happy with the number of games being scheduled for the US."
Nor was Kenyon concerned with the travelling involved with Chelsea players crossing from west coast to east coast and then halfway back across continental America to Texas.
"Quite honestly, no," Kenyon said.
"This is not something that one part of the club has decided on. This has been decided on as a complete pre-season, so our medical staff have been involved in the whole process.
"Our players are going to be back on July 6, they'll have six competitive games before August 14 and there's ample time. And we can't stress enough the fantastic sporting facilities that exist here in the US and as a consequence of that, pre-season training is aided rather than hampered.
"We'll have a crucial 10-day period of medical and fitness tests before we get on the plane and I think we're all very comfortable that this is a good preparation for what we will be, hopefully, 60-plus games next season."
