Ferguson ‘was offered Chelsea job’

CHELSEA boss Claudio Ranieri’s position appeared seriously undermined yesterday after it was claimed that Alex Ferguson was approached during the summer to take over his job.

According to reports, Ferguson was sounded out shortly after Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s takeover at Chelsea, but the United boss rejected the overtures and said yesterday it would take “something catastrophic” to make him leave Old Trafford.

The news casts more doubt on Ranieri’s long-term future at Chelsea, with England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson also having been linked with the Stamford Bridge job.

The revelation comes just two days after Peter Kenyon left his role as United chief executive to take up the same post at Stamford Bridge, and his successor David Gill has claimed that Chelsea will never to be able to match the club’s fan-base and success.

Ferguson said: “I am manager of Manchester United and it would be something absolutely catastrophic for me to leave the club. My whole life is Manchester United.

“When you become manager of this club you get woven into the fabric of the place.”

Gill will continue with plans to offer Ferguson a new contract, and also revealed that Kenyon’s contract prevented him from “blatant poaching” of United staff after his departure.

Gill said: “Peter is an able businessman and I am sure he will have ideas to take Chelsea forward but we have 54 million fans around the globe. We have 11million in the UK and these fans are with us from cradle to grave. With all due respect to Chelsea they won’t change. Some are fickle and some youngsters might choose Chelsea if they are much, much more successful, but the majority are here for life.

“I am sure Peter will do a very good job at Chelsea. I am sure they will be competitive on and off the field but we have so many strengths they can’t replicate.

“Peter is precluded from his contract against deliberate or blatant poaching.

“But knowing the man as I do, I don’t think there will be a lot of that.”

Gill believes that he can succeed in his first aim which is to build a good working relationship with Ferguson. “I know Alex and we have worked together over the years but it would be wrong to say I have had the close working relationship with him that Peter had. That is something we will work on.

!”He will get to know my style and I will get to know his and we’ll work closely together.

“We are very pleased to have Alex as manager and we want it to continue. It is early days regarding the manager’s contract. All I will say, as Peter had said and he was speaking on behalf of the board, we are positive about it and we won’t get into a situation like last time. That will move ahead soon.”