Struggling Chelsea go for 145;best buy146; Scolari

Any manager of Chelsea, as Avram Grant found out to his cost last month, needs to be a serial collector of silverware and have...

Any manager of Chelsea, as Avram Grant found out to his cost last month, needs to be a serial collector of silverware and have a big personality able to cope with one of the most unforgiving jobs in football.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, who will take over at the London club on July 1 once his stewardship of Portugal comes to an end at Euro 2008, can put a large tick in both boxes.

Chelsea fans spent most of last season recovering from the sudden departure of their beloved Jose Mourinho, the man who returned glory to Stamford Bridge after 50 years of league mediocrity, winning two titles in his three seasons in charge.

For all his honest endeavour and impressive results, Grant, a rather dour Israeli, was never going to fill Mourinho8217;s boots and was sadly lacking in the 8216;wow8217; factor demanded by both Abramovich and the fans.

Scolari will become the first Brazilian to manage a leading English club and whether he delivers or not, life at Stamford Bridge certainly should not be dull. Two years after turning down the England job, citing his concerns over media harassment, Scolari has put himself firmly in the firing line.

In 2001 he took over an ailing Brazil squad struggling to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals. Brazilian fans worried about his reputation for rough tactics, but a year later, Brazil were crowned world champions against all odds by beating Germany.

Scolari was sensible enough to leave his audience wanting more and left to become Portugal coach in 2003, steering them to the final of Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece.

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His coaching career began in 1982 and it was not long before he steered two of Brazil8217;s biggest clubs, Gremio and Palmeiras, to success in the Libertadores Cup, the South American version of Europe8217;s Champions League.

For all the flare-ups and comedy moments, Chelsea have hired one of the best coaches money can get. On the other hand, he will relish the cut and thrust of England8217;s abrasive top flight and if anybody can take Chelsea nearer to their dream of world domination it is Big Phil.