Terry wants Hiddink to stay

John Terry has claimed that Guus Hiddink would be the players' choice for the Chelsea job, and believes talks are ongoing to keep the Dutchman at Stamford Bridge.

Caretaker-boss Hiddink has insisted he is only working with the Blues on a temporary basis, but Terry is hopeful his side's blossoming campaign will prompt him to stay after a 4-3 win over Bolton kept their Premier League title hopes alive.

"He has a good relationship with Roman Abramovich," Terry said in the Observer. "Things have gone very well and I'm sure there will be talks ongoing. If we keep progressing there's only going to be one option."

He added: "He's done brilliantly. He's on at us every day in training, and he doesn't let anyone get away with anything."

Asked about the possibility of a shock return for former boss Jose Mourinho, Terry said: "Listen, Jose was a great manager and had some great times here. But it's someone else's turn now to kick on.

"Mourinho is a world class manager, a lot of the players are still in contact with him... But we need stability at the club now. The manager's done brilliantly and got us playing freely. But it's down to the board to make those decisions."