John Major, the former Prime Minister and part-time Chelsea fan, was said to have risen without trace, but his trajectory cut a bright swathe across the heavens compared to that of Avram Grant, the new Chelsea manager.

Grant, now 52, was little known outside Israel before he was appointed director of football at Portsmouth at the beginning of last season. He began his coaching career with Hapoel Petach Tikva, where his success attracted the attention of Maccabi Tel Aviv, with whom he won the Israeli championship in his first season. He also managed Hapoel Haifa and Maccabi Haifa, where he won two more league titles with players including Yossi Benayoun and Aiyegbeni Yakubu. He became the youngest manager of the Israel national team at 46, just missing out on qualification for the 2006 World Cup despite remaining unbeaten.

When he turned up at Fratton Park, he was both suspected of being the eyes and ears at the training ground of Alexandre Gaydamak, the owner, and a figure of fun with no defined role. However, it turned out that he had been given the job as a favour to Roman Abramovich, who wanted Grant to study English football from the inside.

The Chelsea owner had been introduced to Grant by Pini Zahavi, the Israeli agent, and been impressed. When the time was right, Abramovich moved his man to Stamford Bridge, despite the obvious mistrust of Jose Mourinho.

Now he has to win over Mourinho’s dressing room, which could prove tricky for someone with little experience of managing high-profile players such as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. Grant’s way does not involve either grand speeches or rants. His strength is as a man-manager, and he works best with players on a one-to-one basis.

In Israel yesterday, there was widespread incredulity that Grant has reached his present lofty pinnacle, and it is assumed that a more experienced coach will be brought in. But he has one valuable quality. Although he has seldom been associated with extravagant, attacking football, he is also known for accommodating the wishes of employers – in contrast to Mourinho’s determination to do things his way. Andriy Shevchenko, for example, can expect more first-team starts under the new regime.