Avram Grant has been appointed Chelsea's new sporting director, according to sources at the Premiership club.
The move, which is expected to be officially announced after 1 July, is a further sign of the tenuous grip that manager Jose Mourinho has on his own job. Crucially Grant will be given wide-ranging powers - including involvement in coaching, signing players and their recruitment.
Mourinho will not walk out, as he threatened to do when Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich first proposed employing Grant back in January as a means of improving the club's fortunes and getting more out of misfiring striker Andrei Shevchenko in particular. However, it will be fascinating to see how Mourinho copes with the new structure.
Grant will leave his current post as technical director of Portsmouth. It is understood that Grant, who had never previously worked outside Israel, has agreed a two-year contract.
The appointment of the 51-year-old is part of a significant reduction in Mourinho's influence at Chelsea which was prompted by the row between manager and owner last season. The role Grant will take is remarkable. It effectively recognises him as a good coach, a good judge of player and a confidant to Abramovich - something that will irk Mourinho.
Grant is said to be an urbane, charming character and has also build a strong bond with Frank Arnesen who has endured a difficult relationship with Mourinho since his own appointment as Chelsea's head of scouting and youth development. Grant was first introduced to Abramovich three years ago by the agent Pini Zahavi. He was then the coach of the Israeli national team and has since managed to get the ear of the Russian billionaire.
Abramovich has been planning for some time to change the way Chelsea is run having grown tired of Mourinho's antics and also puzzled as to why a manager at a football club traditionally holds so much power. He wants the power to be spread between a number of senior figures and coaches.
Quite how this will work in practice remains to be seen especially with a fiery character such as Mourinho, who has threatened to walk out in the past if there was any interference with his backroom staff. At one stage it was suggested that Mourinho should sack one of his assistants, Steve Clarke, to make room for Grant.
Mourinho was eventually willing to compromise once it transpired that Abramovich was contemplating sacking him in any case. Abramovich has since made clear that Mourinho must accept Grant if he wants to remain while Arnesen has also been given even greater control over player recruitment.
As part of that role the Dane was in Groningen on Saturday to watch the final of the Under-21s European Championship between the Netherlands and Serbia. It is understood that Arnesen was primarily watching the Serbian midfielder Bosko Jankovic.
Arnesen was accompanied by the Chelsea scout Hans Gillhaus and the pair were said to be impressed with the 23-year-old's performance even if Serbia were beaten. Jankovic, who plays for Real Mallorca, has enjoyed a fine tournament.
Arnesen will now travel to the Under-20 World Cup in Canada where he will monitor the Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato, whose club Internacional are planning to cash in on the 17-year-old. Chelsea are also continuing to monitor developments with Lyon winger Florent Malouda.