Chelsea press conference recap: Guus Hiddink speaks to the media ahead of Watford trip

Press conference round-up

Hiddink was asked over and over about Guardiola’s appointment at City and that could set the precedent for Premier League managers for the remainder of the season. Poor old Manuel Pellegrini.

Regarding team news ahead of Watford, Loic Remy is out with a calf injury and the player of the season so far, Willian, is doubtful with a foot problem.

Finally, Chelsea fans shouldn’t get too excited about seeing new boys Alexandre Pato or Matt Miazga in action, as the Dutchman all but ruled out their involvement as they are yet to adapt both physically and mentally to the demands of football in England.

Hiddink on squad selection ahead of Watford

Hiddink revealed that the squad for the match tomorrow night will not be selected until training has finished today.

Willian is struggling and Loic Remy remains out, while new signing Matt Miazga is unlikely to be considered.

“Willian yesterday did not go on the pitch because of a slight contusion in his foot.

“He will train today and we will have to see.

“Miazga will not be in the squad, we will make a squad list after today’s training.

“Remy has an injury on his calf for ten days, he will not be available.”

Hiddink on Watford and his relationship with Quique Sanchez Flores

“They are a very dangerous team.

“They are solid with dangerous forward players.

“Flores was my player and I know he can construct a team that are very difficult to beat.

“The gap between the top and bottom clubs has not vanished by it has reduced.”

Further questions on Pep

“The opposition in this league wherever you go it is difficult to get into a sequence of winning.

“Guardiola is not naive, he knows that. I know him personally and he is a very stable person.

“He was the leader and the tactical conductor in his playing time at Barcelona.

“I met him once or twice on the pitch he is very kind but he is a person who knows what to do.

“We want the best quality in this country.”

Hiddink on managing in England

“Every week or every three or four days there will be huge opposition but it is not his first year in management he is very experienced and there are the Spanish guys at Manchester City he already knows.

“I like the attitude of English football with all the incidents but the love for the game in this country and it makes it attractive for managers to work in this league.”

Hiddink expected Guardiola appointment

It was spectacularly announced on deadline day that Pep Guardiola will become the new manager of Manchester City, replacing Manuel Pellegrini at the end of the season. Will Hiddink still be around next season to challenge the Spaniard? Here are his thoughts on the appointment.

“It was not big news, everyone expected this.

He will face another league that he is not used to but you have always this domination by teams where he has worked and no one can achieved what he did.

But this is different as there is no specific favourite like Barcelona or Bayern, it is different in England but more attractive for him.”

Falcao situation remains unclear

Chelsea sold Brazilian midfielder Ramires in the January transfer window and signed Alexandre Pato and Matt Miazga. Just how much influence did Hiddink have on the business conducted by the Blues?

“There is not much to say, we didn’t want to do much.

Two less players for one or two positions but the club replaced them.

I don’t know if it is true that the club were prepared to sell Remy, you would have to ask the people responsible for selling and buying.”

Hiddink also confirmed he does not know where Falcao’s future lies.

Chelsea remain in dialogue with Terry

Hiddink was asked why Terry wasn’t offered a new deal when Ramires, Remy, Cahill and others all got one.

“You have to see every issue as an individual case.”

The press officer intervenes and reinforces the fact there is still an open dialogue between the club and Terry.

Hiddink on Terry’s shock departure announcement

“It was sad for John, he is entitled after his contract ends to make up his mind.

“On the other hand I don’t want to over value the attention we are giving this, but the club still wants an open door dialogue with John.

“It was a bit surprising but he’s entitled to make that decision.

“There was no specific decision made but the main thing is we have to see it from his side and the club side.

“He is very fit and not what you normally see with a 36-year-old player, you cannot accept that you are getting slower and going into a danger zone for red cards, there is none of that with John.

“He will be very professional and work hard as well.”

Team news ahead of Watford match

Here is the latest from Hiddink ahead of the clash with Watford, Pato first.

“He is somewhere inbetween fitness. He had to do aerobic stuff yesterday which we had to accept.

“He has worked for a few training sessions and will be in this afternoon but I don’t know if he is up for the game until later this afternoon.

“He is not fully fit I don’t think but the paperwork is done and formally he is available.

“Physically and mentally he has done hardly a whole training session with the team.

“We have to prepare him well and as soon as possible for the tight schedule coming up.”

Waiting for Guus...

Terry has given his side of the story, and so have the club in an official statement.

Now the press will want to hear from Guus.

Here is the scene at Cobham as we await the arrival of the Dutchman.

Where next for JT?

So then, where next for JT?

The 35-year-old centre-back has made 696 appearances for the Blues, winning four Premier League titles for Chelsea.

Terry confirmed he would not play for another team in England, having spent his entire career at the west London club, joining when 14 years old.

We’ve taken look at what could be the next move for the one-time England captain.

Captain, leader, legend, leaving

The big news this week at Chelsea is the impending departure of John Terry.

Terry has confirmed he will be leaving Chelsea at the end of the season to bring his incredible career with the club to an end.

The legendary skipper joined the Blues at the age of 14 and has led the team to four Premier League crowns, five FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, the Europa League and Champions League.

He has played 477 league matches for Chelsea and only lies behind Ryan Giggs, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes in the number of appearances by a player for a single club in the Premier League.

When does the loan window open?

Deadline day has been and gone but the madness doesn’t stop there.

The January transfer window slammed shut on Monday night after more than £100million was spent by English clubs.

However, the emergency loan window is yet to come as clubs continue to move players around domestically.

Every year, Premier League and Football League teams are given the chance to continue temporary switches to help with injuries and get young guns some more experience.

The loan window arrives with less fanfare and less star billing than the Jim White extravaganza that is deadline day, awash with yellow ties and transfer tickers.

But it can be a useful tool, particularly for lower League clubs in need of an extra body or two after the dust has settled on January’s permanent business.

Walk this way for everything you need to know about the loan window...

Transfer window review

So, deadline day has been and gone. Have you recovered from the excitement overload yet? Nope, me neither.

Chelsea endured their worst ever start to a Premier League season in 2015-16 and needed a good January transfer window to breathe new life into their campaign - but did the Blues make waves in the market this winter?

John Stones was touted for Stamford Bridge once again, Brazilian star Alex Teixeira was mooted as a potential recruit and even Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy was mentioned as a transfer target, however the reality was only two additions were made and a raft of players headed out.

It was a low-key window for more than just Chelsea though as Premier League clubs spent just over £100million on new players in January, with Newcastle United the biggest gamblers as they shelled out nearly £30million on Jonjo Shelvey, Andros Townsend and Henri Saivet.

In fact, the biggest signing made on deadline day was not that of a player, but a manager, as Manchester City revealed that will be rolling out the red carpet for Bayern Munich’s master tactician Pep Guardiola in the summer as Manuel Pellegrini waves goodbye to the Etihad.

Here’s a look back at how the January transfer window unfolded for Chelsea.

Welcome

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea’s press conference.

Chelsea are back in Premier League action tomorrow and face a trip to Watford after the Blues 5-1 FA Cup thrashing of MK Dons at the weekend.

The Blues should be in high spirits after Oscar’s hat-trick and Bertrand Traore’s first senior goal for the club, but how will the news of John Terry’s end of season departure affect the rest of the squad?

Guus Hiddink is due to sit down with the media at 3.30pm this afternoon to preview the visit to Vicarage Road ahead of a must-win match with the Hornets.

Watford have been one of this season’s surprise packages, thanks to the fine goalscoring form of centre forward Odion Ighalo as his partnership with Troy Deeney continues to blossom.

We’ll also have the latest on January arrivals Alexandre Pato and Matt Miazga and will hopefully get to the bottom of the Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao transfer sagas.