Di Matteo named Chelsea coach on permanent basis

Roberto Di Matteo gained his reward for steering Chelsea to Champions League and FA Cup glory last season when he was appointed manager on a permanent basis on Wednesday.

The former Italy midfielder had signed a two-year contract with the Londoners, the European champions said on their website (www.chelseafc.com).

Di Matteo is the eighth manager to have worked under Roman Abramovich since the Russian billionaire bought the Premier League club in 2003, following Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas-Boas.

In March, Di Matteo was promoted from assistant coach to interim manager with the team in turmoil following the sacking of Portuguese Villas-Boas.