Grant expect to be told within the next 72 hours...
-
Grant on brink as Abramovich agonises over a replacement
Avram Grant can expect to be told within the next 72 hours whether he will continue as Chelsea manager. The signs remain that the 53-year-old Israeli will be replaced after just eight months in charge, even though he led Chelsea to Wednesday's European Cup final, losing only on penalties, as well as to second place in the Premier League.
Grant's one chance of survival appears to be the indecision at the heart of Chelsea, right up to the club's owner Roman Abramovich, as to who should replace him. Nevertheless, a club statement is expected to be made on Grant's future by the beginning of next week.
James Lawton's greatest ever European Cup finals
Grant himself is understood to be worn out by the pressure of the last few months, with one source close to the manager saying last night that he needed "time on his own" to decide what he wants to do. If he is replaced, Grant will probably be given the option of returning to the job he was originally appointed to take on at Stamford Bridge – that of director of football – but is understood to favour a clean break.
Grant understandably believes that his reputation has been enhanced sufficiently by the events of this season to command a prime managerial job elsewhere, despite the lack of public support he has received from Abramovich and the club's directors.
Yesterday Grant, perhaps inadvertently, spoke of his time at Chelsea in the past tense while, again, refusing to discuss what will happen to him. "I cannot talk about the future now," he said. "I've spoken with Peter [Kenyon, Chelsea's chief executive] and others and we're just thinking about the game. I've enjoyed my time here – not all the time – but most of the time I enjoy it.
"I'm a manager who likes to create something that will be good for the future of the club. It was not easy. It's good for the first year. Grant – who said he did not sleep at all after losing to United – was bullish about Chelsea's season, claiming "my team" had performed well following Jose Mourinho's departure. "People thought Chelsea were on the way down, but we've shown they can develop and play better football," he said.
-
he has to go.
chelsea needs someone with track records.