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Despite some Chelsea fans' retaining a vague hope that Champions League glory may yet tempt Guus Hiddink to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond this season, there is absolutely no way the Dutchman will do so.

He has said as much on several occasions and Gossip Shop has no reason at all not to believe him. Anyway, even if Hiddink wanted the job and was willing to turn his back on the Russian national side, owner Roman Abramovich, loath to upset people back in his homeland, would not allow it to happen.

Got that? Good.

So perhaps we can turn our focus to the small matter of who will be sitting in the Blues' hotseat come the start of next season.

Milan supremo Carlo Ancelotti has featured prominently in the Great Succession Debate of 2009 (TM), but there could be a new kid on the block who may pip the Italian to the post.

His name? Slaven Bilic, currently in charge of the Croatian national side.

Think about it for a moment and it makes perfect sense.

Hiddink has been charged with helping find his own successor, and is good friends with the former West Ham defender.

Bilic has a contract with Croatia until 2010, but could quit should his side not qualify for the World Cup (they currently lie second in Group 6, behind England, but have Ukraine breathing hard down their necks).

Bilic has a great command of the media and is certainly charismatic enough to take on the Chelsea job in the post-Mourinho era.

He speaks good English, has lived in London before, enjoys a close relationship with most of his players and is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and lead from the front (remember when he 'braved' the rain at Wembley when England's own Steve McClaren hid under a brolly?).

And he wears an earring. And plays guitar in a band.

The only question mark hangs over his experience of managing a club side, which to date is non-existent. Even so, alongside an experienced assistant, despite his ties with cross-town rivals West Ham, Bilic has emerged as a sensible, and plausible, replacement for Hiddink.

Let's just hope he has not holidayed in Mexico recently or he may never make it over to the Premier League, amid the current panic over the outbreak of swine flu.

The fuss has spread as far as Arsenal's training complex with reports that striker Carlos Vela was ordered to stay away after friends from Mexico, who may have been exposed in their home country, visited the Gunners' Hertfordshire base last week.

It's all a bit season three of '24', only with footballers instead of terrorists, and the Daily Mirror even goes as far as to suggest that the scare has "threatened to wreck (Arsenal's) Champions League bid" as numerous players may have been infected by the virus.

Only time will tell if that prophecy proves true, but anything is possible. Just ask Tottenham, whose own Champions League ambitions - albeit of just qualifying for the competition, not actually winning it - were dashed by an outbreak of gastroenteritis before their final match of the 2006 season.

Staying with Spurs for a moment, boss Harry Redknapp is reportedly keen on Jonjo Shelvey, the 17-year-old Charlton starlet. A bid of £3 million is being prepared for the midfielder, who has also attracted interest from Newcastle and Fulham.

In other news, Steven Gerrard's injury was widely regarded as 'a bad thing' on the red half of Merseyside, but one man who has benefitted has been Yossi Benayoun.

The Israeli was ready to quit Anfield in the summer but after having been given more playing time in the Liverpool skipper's absence, he has blossomed and is set to be rewarded with the offer of a new contract.

Elsewhere, West Ham's on-loan striker David Di Michele wants to make his move to Upton Park a permanent one.

"I'd love to stay here for a few years," said the Italy international, who has netted four times since joining from Torino last summer.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has been offered to Chelsea for £8m and Aston Villa are set to bid £5.5m for Steaua Bucharest defender Dorin Goian.

And finally, former Manchester United and Aston Villa keeper Mark Bosnich has been in talks with League One club Swindon.

That's right, the 37-year-old is currently a free agent but has been training with A-League club Sydney FC and apparently wants a move back to England.

And here was Gossip Shop thinking the Australian's next move would be to appear on 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here'.

Eurosport