Chelsea have appointed former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez as interim manager until the end of the season.
Previous manager Roberto Di Matteo was sacked on Wednesday following the 3-0 Champions League defeat by Juventus.
Benitez’s short-term appointment as announced on Chelsea’s website, confirmed that “Rafael Benitez has been appointed interim first-team manager until the end of the season.”
This could pave the way for owner Roman Abramovich to make a summer approach for ex-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.
Benitez, 52, becomes the Blues’ ninth manager since Abramovich took over in 2003.
A Chelsea statement said: “The owner and the board believe that in Benitez we have a manager with significant experience at the highest level of football, who can come in and immediately help deliver our objectives.
“The two-time Uefa Manager of the Year comes with outstanding pedigree.”
The Spaniard is due to meet the players at the training ground in Cobham on Thursday.
Benitez joined Liverpool from Valencia in 2004 and won the Champions League in 2005, as well as reaching the final in 2007, before leaving Anfield by mutual consent in 2010.
He has been out of work since he was sacked by Inter Milan in December 2010 after just six months in charge.
Di Matteo won the Champions League and FA Cup as caretaker manager last season and was given a two-year deal in June.
But following the defeat to Juventus, which has left the Blues on the brink of a Champions League exit, he has left Stamford Bridge after just eight months in charge.
Chelsea sit third in the Premier League table, four points behind leaders Manchester City, who they host at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
According to Chelsea’s website, Benitez is a “two-time UEFA Manager of the Year comes with outstanding pedigree.”
He began his managerial career in his homeland, most notably at Valencia where he built a reputation as one of Europe’s top coaches by winning the Spanish League twice and the UEFA Cup.
He then spent six years at Liverpool and led them to their fifth European Cup and an FA Cup.
Previous manager Roberto Di Matteo was sacked on Wednesday following the 3-0 Champions League defeat by Juventus.Benitez’s short-term appointment as announced on Chelsea’s website, confirmed that “Rafael Benitez has been appointed interim first-team manager until the end of the season.”
This could pave the way for owner Roman Abramovich to make a summer approach for ex-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.
Benitez, 52, becomes the Blues’ ninth manager since Abramovich took over in 2003.
A Chelsea statement said: “The owner and the board believe that in Benitez we have a manager with significant experience at the highest level of football, who can come in and immediately help deliver our objectives.
“The two-time Uefa Manager of the Year comes with outstanding pedigree.”
The Spaniard is due to meet the players at the training ground in Cobham on Thursday.
Benitez joined Liverpool from Valencia in 2004 and won the Champions League in 2005, as well as reaching the final in 2007, before leaving Anfield by mutual consent in 2010.
He has been out of work since he was sacked by Inter Milan in December 2010 after just six months in charge.
Di Matteo won the Champions League and FA Cup as caretaker manager last season and was given a two-year deal in June.
But following the defeat to Juventus, which has left the Blues on the brink of a Champions League exit, he has left Stamford Bridge after just eight months in charge.
Chelsea sit third in the Premier League table, four points behind leaders Manchester City, who they host at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
According to Chelsea’s website, Benitez is a “two-time UEFA Manager of the Year comes with outstanding pedigree.”
He began his managerial career in his homeland, most notably at Valencia where he built a reputation as one of Europe’s top coaches by winning the Spanish League twice and the UEFA Cup.
He then spent six years at Liverpool and led them to their fifth European Cup and an FA Cup.
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