Rafael Benitez has been confirmed as Chelsea manager after the club sacked Roberto Di Matteo following their 3-0 Champions League loss to Juventus.
The 52-year-old Spaniard takes charge of the European champions on an interim basis until the end of the campaign after spending almost two years out of work following his dismissal at Inter Milan.
Di Matteo was sacked on Wednesday after Chelsea's loss in Turin left them on the brink of exiting the Champions League, which they won last season.
Later on Wednesday, a statement on the club's website read: "The owner and the board believe that in Benitez we have a manager with significant experience at the highest level of football, who can come in and immediately help deliver our objectives."
Benitez will take charge of his second English Premier League club after a successful six-year spell at Liverpool between 2004 and 2010.
His time on Merseyside led to success in Europe as he won the club's fifth European Cup in his second season as the Reds famously came from three goals down to beat AC Milan on penalties in 2005.
Roman Abramovich relieved Di Matteo of his duties despite the Italian guiding the club to their maiden Champions League trophy and a seventh FA Cup last season.
Benitez becomes the ninth Chelsea manager in nine years in the Abramovich era.