Former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has resigned from his post as the manager of Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala after less than a year. He was brought into the club only in February 2012 after his spell with the Russian national team came to an end.

Hiddink is widely known for his spells with the national teams of South Korea and Holland. He guided a relatively lesser-known South Korea team to the semifinals of the World Cup, while the 66-year-old Dutchman has enjoyed great success with the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid in club football.

His last spell in club football – with Chelsea – got him the 2009 FA Cup trophy. Hiddink has stated that he took over the Russian club with the mission of getting them to a higher position as much as he could. He has recalled that he would be not continuing as the manager once he thought that he would not take the club any higher. Anzhi Makhachkala have been looking to become one of the European elite. They have spent huge money on transfers and wages with the most notable being the £ 320,000 per week contract offer for former Inter Milan and Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o.

Despite this, they have enjoyed only relative success in recent years.

“I’ve always said that my mission with Anzhi would end when the club was able to develop and grow by itself without my participation,” said Hiddink. “FC Anzhi has accepted the request of the head coach to terminate their employment relationship. The club sincerely thanks Guus Hiddink for his significant contribution to the club and wishes him success in his future career,” said the official statement from the club.
The 66-year-old Dutchman has been linked with the managerial job at Barcelona in the last few days following the resignation of Tito Vilanova.