Carlo Ancelotti happy to drop big Blues clues

Carlo Ancelotti has given the biggest indication yet that he will be Chelsea's new manager after admitting he has been studying the club's players on DVD and taking English lessons three times a week.

The AC Milan coach has confirmed in his new autobiography, Preferisco La Coppa, which was released yesterday, that he met Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich for talks about the position twice last year and told him he wanted Xabi Alonso and Franck Ribery as part of the squad.

Ancelotti has consistently said publicly that he is staying at AC Milan, where he has one year left on his contract. His future is, however, likely to be decided on Monday when he meets Milan officials for talks.

In the book, he writes: "I confess that at certain points in 2008-09 I watched my DVDs of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

"I was already the coach of the boys on paper. I thought, there are worse things in life than me and Abramovich together. The worst for him had already been and gone. He had already worked with His Specialness, (Jose) Mourinho."

Ancelotti claims Abramovich has become unhappy with the direction the club has gone and is still waiting for them to reach the level set by the likes of Manchester United.

Writing about their initial meeting in a hotel near Geneva 12 months ago, Ancelotti said: "Abramovich wanted to know everything about me, my way of working, my philosophy. He was and still is looking for a team with a precise identity: 'Like Manchester United, Liverpool, Milan, certainly not like my Chelsea'."