Chelsea were always going to appoint a former player to replace West Ham coach Steve Clarke, it has been revealed.

The Times says Ray Wilkins beat off competition from more recent former players, Roberto Di Matteo, the Milton Keynes Dons manager, and Dan Petrescu, the coach of Unirea Urziceni in Romania, to secure the position, with Luiz Felipe Scolari feeling that it was important to have an experienced English assistant.