Telegraph Sport was told that Villas-Boas's appointment at Chelsea was "purely" down to Abramovich and that the club's owner is determined to provide as much support as he can to the manager, whom he still greatly admires. That view is not universally held within Chelsea where there is some concern over the 34-year-old Portuguese and his methods. Indeed there are even doubts as to whether the club will finish in the top four in the Premier League and qualify for next season's Champions League. However, Abramovich is determined to back Villas-Boas and that will include bidding for at least one marquee signing in the January transfer window. It is understood that Chelsea have made a creative midfielder a priority, having missed out on Tottenham's Luka Modric in the summer. A meeting was held earlier this week and a target decided. His identity is being closely guarded but Chelsea are also considering moves for a striker – if they can offload Nicolas Anelka – and a central defender, most likely to be Bolton Wanderers' Gary Cahill, if Alex is sold. Two forthcoming home fixtures, however, have been highlighted as key to Villas-Boas's prospects – next week's Champions League tie against Valencia and, the Premier League match, also at Stamford Bridge, against Manchester City the following Monday. If Chelsea were to go out of the Champions League it would undermine the manager further while a poor home performance against City, would make the manager's position precarious, in spite of Abramovich's backing. Villas-Boas has to improve on what one senior Chelsea official called the "supine" defeat to Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup on Tuesday evening if he is to survive. There are advisers close to Abramovich who have decided that Villas-Boas is not the right man to take the club forward and make the necessary changes. Interestingly, these concerns were first voiced to Abramovich in August but he dismissed them. These doubts extend to the players with some privately questioning Villas-Boas's tactics – the team used a midfield diamond on Tuesday without, apparently, practising that formation – and being confused as to the chopping and changing of his line-up. It is said that he does not know the "core" to his team. However, a source close to the Russian said last night: "The only one who chose this manager was Roman. This was his choice, purely. No one else was involved." That tallies with the confusion over why Abramovich did not offer Guus Hiddink the job in the summer after sacking Carlo Ancelotti. At the time, advisers were suggesting Hiddink, not Villas-Boas, would be hired and there was some shock when the Dutchman was overlooked. However, the source added: "When Ancelotti was selected that had much to do with Andrei Shevchenko. With [Luiz Felipe] Scolari it was [the then chief executive] Peter Kenyon. With Mourinho it was [the agent] Pini Zahavi. But with Villas-Boas it has been Roman. Purely Roman." Chelsea have maintained that Villas-Boas was always their No 1 choice, and Abramovich underlined that view by paying 15 million euros for Porto to release him from his contract as coach, even though that release clause would not have applied next summer. However, it is believed that Abramovich intends to veto bids for Porto players because of his annoyance at the way they negotiated Villas-Boas's release. That may end their interest in Uruguayan international Alvaro Perreira. The manager would like Chelsea to inquire about Hulk, but the Brazilian striker has a prohibitive buy-out clause. Chelsea have also ruled out bidding for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani and, having spent £75 million last January on Fernando Torres and David Luiz and then a further £64 million in the summer, there is not the appetite to spend big again, even though there is an acknowledgement that the ageing squad needs an overhaul. As well as Anelka, Chelsea are prepared to allow Didier Drogba – also in the final year of his contract – and Florent Malouda to go at the end of this season while Salomon Kalou appears to be out of favour with Villas-Boas despite being offered a new contract at the club. Kalou is in the final year of his current deal and could sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January. At the same time there is growing concern over the poor form of Torres, with Villas-Boas acknowledging that he is now firmly second choice to Drogba. Romelu Lukaku is also struggling to convince Chelsea that he can justify his billing as one of European football's most exciting young players. It had been thought that Villas-Boas's time as manager would be defined by whether he could get the best out of Torres, but it is understood that Abramovich is now considering whether the striker, rather than the coaching, is the problem. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8926958/Chelsea-owner-Roman-Abramovich-vows-to-stand-by-Andre-Villas-Boas-even-after-recent-wobble.html all these "insider" articles are always dodgy but who knows
