Ancelotti in for the long haul as Chelsea look to land more silverware

Ancelotti claimed the Barclays Premier League title in his first season at the club after Chelsea smashed Wigan 8-0 on Sunday.

Now the Italian is on the brink of an historic League and FA Cup double as Chelsea prepare to face Portsmouth at Wembley on Saturday.

Chief-executive Ron Gourlay believes Ancelotti's success could be the start of a new and successful era at the club.

"It is a pleasure working with the guy," said Gourlay. "The plan is to work with Carlo for five to 10 years. I think stability would be good for the club going forward and when we start to bring the young players forward.

"Carlo is definitely here for the long term. He is not a coach who moves around, even in his playing days. I am sure he will be around for many years to come.

"We have won the Premier League and hopefully we can win the double. But then we have to look at next season because it is important that we continue on."

Former Blues manager Avram Grant, meanwhile, intends to fully enjoy the build-up to FA Cup final day after a season to forget with Portsmouth.

Pompey have lurched from one financial crisis to another, before eventually slipping into administration which resulted in them being docked nine points by the Premier League and ended with relegation to the Coca-Cola Championship.

The future of the club remains unclear, and Grant has yet to commit himself to stay on unless guarantees are given.

However, for now, the Israeli coach is happy to focus only on getting what would be an extraordinary result against his old club at Wembley on Saturday.

"It is all very exciting, and there is no need to be nervous," he said. "We have come a long way in difficult circumstances, we are trying to enjoy it in this final week.

"We deserve to have this week of not having to think about the bad things which have happened this season.

"Chelsea have played well in the last month, scoring lots of goals, but we just have to stay positive. We are going to Wembley against the champions, the whole of the league is between us, but we have to go there and perform.

"Chelsea are a very good team, the best squad in England and will come in a good mood, but we want to do our job."