Chelsea have appointed Rafael Benitez as their interim manager until the end of the season after the European champions reacted ruthlessly to the team’s recent slump by sacking Roberto Di Matteo only six months after he won the Champions League.

Benitez cut short a stay in the Middle East, where he was delivering a coaching seminar to the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and flew to the United Kingdom last night to rubber stamp his return to the Premier League.

The club still aspire to securing Pep Guardiola next summer, when the former Barcelona manager has suggested he will return from a year-long sabbatical, though his compatriot will now effectively have an opportunity to stake his own case to take the job on a long-term basis before then.

The Chelsea hierarchy had informed Di Matteo that he was to be relieved of his duties at around 4am yesterday morning following the team’s return from their Champions League loss to Juventus. The club then held an emergency board meeting at Stamford Bridge during the day at which they decided to pursue their interest in Benitez in preference to the mooted potential reappointment of Avram Grant.

Ninth manager

The Spaniard, who had been approached earlier this year when Andre Villas-Boas was in charge and offered similar terms only to seek a longer deal, duly became the club’s ninth manager in as many years under Roman Abramovich’s ownership.

At the club’s training base in Cobham today he will meet his new players, including Fernando Torres, who flourished under his management on Merseyside. Benitez must set about winning over deeply sceptical Chelsea supporters, starting with Sunday’s visit of the league leaders Manchester City, and with memories of his Liverpool side’s scraps against Chelsea still all too raw.

The 52-year-old, who has been out of work since leaving Internazionale in December 2010 after a brief 25-game stint in charge, is expected to be unveiled tomorrow.

“The reason [I have not coached for two years] is that you are looking for a top side that can challenge for trophies, because there are not too many top sides that can challenge so I had to wait,” he said in Abu Dhabi.

“I am looking for a club that can challenge for trophies so Chelsea is one of these clubs.”

Chelsea had been courting Guardiola aggressively in recent weeks, hoping to lure him from his break, but he has reiterated his desire to remain in Manhattan with his family.

While the club are hopeful he can be persuaded to join in the summer, he has offered no guarantees he would be willing to take up the reins at Stamford Bridge.

Regardless, he appears to remain Chelsea’s long-term ideal as manager.

“Pep will not decide which club he will coach until January or February,” said the 41-year-old’s agent, Josep Maria Orobitg. “He will be the only one who decides his future because he is a strong personality. Right now he is resting, reading, watching football. In January he will start to think about what team he wants to coach.”

Humiliating loss

Di Matteo’s final match in charge proved to be the humiliating 3-0 loss to Juventus on Tuesday night, a game that leaves the holders in grave danger of exiting the Champions League at the group stage.

Moves had been afoot over the past month to pinpoint a potential replacement with the team’s form so stuttering – they have won only twice in eight matches, and not kept a clean sheet in 10 – and the hierarchy had even considered wielding the axe after Saturday’s loss at West Bromwich Albion.

It was only once Guardiola’s position had been restated and Benitez had indicated a willingness to take on the role that permission was given to the chairman, Bruce Buck, and the chief executive, Ron Gourlay, to act.

Chelsea arrived back at Gatwick airport at about 2.30am yesterday morning with the Italian accompanying the squad back to their training base at Cobham, where Buck and Gourlay met him in his office to deliver the bad news. Assistant Eddie Newton expected to follow him out of the club.

A brief statement published on the club’s website thanked him for guiding Chelsea to “an historic Champions League victory and a seventh FA Cup” over his 262 days in charge, but added: “The team’s recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the board felt that a change was necessary.”

A disappointed Juan Mata described Di Matteo as “a legend” when the news was confirmed.

Benitez will attack with relish the task of reorganising the team as he seeks to ensure the recent downturn does not wreck the club’s season. He should see his squad strengthened next month.

Interest will be pursued in the Atletico Madrid forward Radamel Falcao, and Didier Drogba may come back on loan. Benitez is also likely to seek reinforcements at centre-half and could even return to his former club, Liverpool, to seek to secure central defender Martin Skrtel.

Guardian Service