Chelsea on Monday rejected out of hand reports that club owner Roman Abramovich was considering re-hiring Avram Grant as adviser to interim manager Rafael Benitez.
Reports surfaced in the British press that Grant, the Israeli who has close links with Abramovich and who was in charge when Chelsea reached the 2008 Champions League final, could return to Stamford Bridge to help Benitez.
But a Chelsea spokesman said a British news agency: “There is no truth in the reports.” Benitez has set some unwanted new firsts since replacing Roberto Di Matteo and being handed the mantle of turning around the Champions League winners’ flagging fortunes.
After Saturday’s shock 3-1 loss to the Hammers, Benitez conceded that the task of reviving Chelsea could turn out to be a bigger challenge than he had envisaged.
After little more than a week in charge, Benitez has overseen two scoreless draws and an unexpected reverse that has left the club’s Premier League title ambitions severely dented.
That run has done nothing to get onside those supporters disgruntled by the dismissal of Di Matteo, and the reaction of the visiting fans at Upton Park confirmed the strength of feeling against him.
Reports surfaced in the British press that Grant, the Israeli who has close links with Abramovich and who was in charge when Chelsea reached the 2008 Champions League final, could return to Stamford Bridge to help Benitez.
But a Chelsea spokesman said a British news agency: “There is no truth in the reports.” Benitez has set some unwanted new firsts since replacing Roberto Di Matteo and being handed the mantle of turning around the Champions League winners’ flagging fortunes.
After Saturday’s shock 3-1 loss to the Hammers, Benitez conceded that the task of reviving Chelsea could turn out to be a bigger challenge than he had envisaged.
After little more than a week in charge, Benitez has overseen two scoreless draws and an unexpected reverse that has left the club’s Premier League title ambitions severely dented.
That run has done nothing to get onside those supporters disgruntled by the dismissal of Di Matteo, and the reaction of the visiting fans at Upton Park confirmed the strength of feeling against him.