Ruud Gullit reveals Chelsea sabotage! Former manager claims transfer disagreements with agents were behind shock Stamford Bridge sacking

Ruud Gullit has revealed he felt "backstabbed" when he was sacked as Chelsea manager in 1998 despite the team performing well, claiming agents were pushing players on him and internal figures undermined him, all while his mother was battling breast cancer.

Gullit took over as Chelsea player-manager in 1996 and quickly made an impact, attracting top players and playing an attractive brand of football while winning the 1997 FA Cup. However, the lure of big transfer fees and power struggles behind the scenes ultimately led to his early departure, highlighting the complexities of managing a club even before significant foreign investment.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Gullit said: "Later on I found out that there was a lot of money going around because all of a sudden the best players wanted to come to Chelsea and they were offering a lot of players that I didn't want...I was a little bit in the way.

"You had people around you who took care of you and and then all of the sudden they backstabbed you. And that's a horrible feeling.

"The worst thing of all was also my mum had breast cancer. So I had to go to Amsterdam all the time in order to support her. And then they said, 'Yeah, but he's never here because he's always in Amsterdam'."

Chelsea are currently trying to forge a new identity under Enzo Maresca, with the first leg of their Conference League semi-final against Djurgarden taking place on Thursday night. Gullit, meanwhile, is unlikely to return to management and now focuses on punditry work.