Ancelotti denies he is quitting Chelsea

LONDON - Carlo Ancelotti has refuted suggestions that he is thinking of quitting as manager of Chelsea on the pretext that he is no longer in control of the team.

In the aftermath of Chelsea’s fourth league defeat of the season against Birmingham City on Saturday, reports that Ancelotti was considering leaving his role Stamford Bridge in a dispute over control of the team were circulating.

Asked if there was any truth to the speculation, The Telegraph quoted the Italian, as saying: “These rumors are totally untrue. I don’t know why they came out in the papers. I have my contract until 2012.”

“I didn’t call the LMA. They called me last night when I was relaxing at home, just to find out what was going on. I’ve said a lot of times that I’d like to stay here. I love not just this club, but these players. I have a lot of confidence in these players, in this squad, so there’s no reason to change my ideas. I don’t know if this is enough to speak about all this,” he added.

Events off the pitch have also sparked fears about Ancelotti’s future.

The club’s board made the decision last week to dismiss assistant coach Ray Wilkins, who was close to Ancelotti, and replace him with Michael Emenalo on the instigation of Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

But Ancelotti denied that Wilkins’ departure had affected his position as manager.

“I am sad because the team doesn’t win - the club decided to change and I have to stay focused on the job,” he said.

“This is not the reason the team is losing at the moment. I maintain the same relationship with Ray.” (ANI)