Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich 'obsessed' with Pep Guardiola

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been "obsessed" with Pep Guardiola, and appointing a manager such as Massimiliano Allegri would represent a different approach, according to Oliver Kay.

Guardiola was announced as the man to take over Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City in the summer when he leaves Bayern Munich, while the likes of Juventus manager Allegri and Italy's Antonio Conte were linked with Chelsea in the Mail on Sunday.

The Times' Kay, speaking on Sunday Supplement, says Chelsea made themselves an unattractive option by sacking Mourinho in December, leaving Guardiola to join City.

"Allegri and Conte are the two names buzzing around. Guardiola is the guy Abramovich has been obsessed with for as long as Man City have," said Kay. "When it came to it, they were not in the position to get him because they've made themselves look an unappealing proposition."

"Allegri is a completely different type of manager. He's obviously a very good manager, but they have been obsessed with Guardiola for a long, long time."

"When are Chelsea going to appoint that manager that sees them through three years, let alone 18 months? It just seems with Chelsea that it's always a case of: 'Who is available?' rather than having a plan."