Avram Grant’s position at Stamford Bridge remains in doubt despite leading Chelsea to their first Champions League final. The uncertainty is such that no senior figure at Stamford Bridge is prepared to state — even in private — that the first-team coach will stay on. With no one able to second-guess Roman Abramovich’s intentions, the decision is on hold until the end of the season.

That Grant’s position is the subject of debate two days after leading Chelsea to the Moscow showpiece by defeating Liverpool is, to paraphrase John Terry, scarcely believable, but it says more about the unique nature of the club than the ability of a man who has overachieved in his first season at this level of management.

Much of the doubt is due to the power and inscrutability of Abramovich, the owner, who keeps his cards so close to his chest that even members of the board are unsure of his plans.

The Russian billionaire should be having the time of his life, with Chelsea challenging for the Barclays Premier League title and qualifying for the final in Moscow to justify his decision to replace José Mourinho, but the reality is different.

Although busy with business interests, shoring up Vladimir Putin’s new position as Russian Prime Minister and the delicate balancing act of seeing Daria Zhukova, his girlfriend, and his five children by Irina, his ex-wife, his lengthy absence from Stamford Bridge is still startling. Abramovich has not been seen at a match since the 2-1 win over Arsenal on March 23, creating a vacuum at the top of the club. During that period, there have been repeated criticisms of Chelsea’s style of football and question marks over Grant’s authority.

It is ironic that the doubts should surface again just as Grant has gained the respect of most of the players, the most vocal opponents of his appointment in the first place. As captain, Terry was always going to back the incumbent manager — as he did during the final days of Claudio Ranieri’s reign four years ago — but Grant has become closer to other players in recent weeks, particularly Frank Lampard.

“I think Avram deserves respect and rightly so,” Terry said. “I would have thought it’s enough to keep him in a job, as things have been very good and results don’t lie. You look at the Premier League table since the manager’s taken over and he’s been very good. To get to where we are and still question the manager’s role is unbelievable really. Everybody had a big part to play, none more so than the manager. It’s incredible. But it’s not just the manager, it’s the players and the coaching staff.”

Grant’s immediate concern is keeping Chelsea in the title race by winning away to Newcastle United on Monday, with the Israeli expressing fury at comments by Alan Curbishley, the West Ham United manager, that he would like Manchester United to end up as champions. The Israeli is expected to use today’s press conference to remind West Ham of their responsibilities to the integrity of the competition before their trip to Old Trafford tomorrow.