Grant's deal doubled to £3m a year at Chelsea

The Israeli agreed a £1.5million-a-year deal when he took over as manager from Jose Mourinho in September but was yesterday given an improved annual salary of £3m.

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Whether Grant, 52, lasts the full course of the deal remains to be seen — rumours persist that Frank Rijkaard will head for Stamford Bridge if he leaves Barcelona at the end of the season — but it is nevertheless a considerable endorsement of Grant by owner Roman Abramovich.

Grant's wages still fall considerably short of the £5.2m a year Chelsea were paying Mourinho, of course.

The Chelsea boss gets the chance to pit his wits against another of the Barclays Premier League's elite coaches on Sunday, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger, hoping the outcome is better than the 2-0 defeat at Manchester United which greeted his arrival in the post.

But he goes in search of goals at the Emirates with one of his managerial predecessors, Ruud Gullit, expressing fears Andriy Shevchenko is about to become another high-profile victim of the unquenchable thirst for pace and power in English football.

Shevchenko, signed for £30m from AC Milan, has struggled to justify his fee and, with Didier Drogba injured, has a last chance to impress before Grant starts signing players in January.

'Shevchenko is a great player and I don't think he's finished but maybe for some reason it doesn't suit him to play the English game,' said Gullit.

'It's the pace of the game. Most of the time in Europe it's a slow build-up, you pass the ball, but in England it's pressing, all the time the pressure is on and the referees allow a little bit more.'

The physical nature of the English game still shocks Gullit, who has worked abroad since he left Newcastle in 1999. He spent a year at Dutch club Feyenoord and has just taken over at LA Galaxy.

Gullit said: 'I saw Newcastle play Arsenal and I was irritated by the fact Newcastle slammed into them and the referee allowed it. If you are used to Europe, you think it's a foul and you don't get it. You get frustrated and think, "What the hell".

'You play in the FA Cup against a second division team and the referee allows everything. The opposition kick you and you have to cope. Sometimes because of that you can lose a game. Not because of the football.

'But this is England, it is different. They have less quality than the opposition and they work their socks off. I understand that and I appreciate what Newcastle did but from the point of view of a football supporter, I hate it.'

Chelsea will move level on points with Arsenal if they can beat the Gunners after eating up ground on the Premier League pacesetters since Grant's appointment.

'They have accomplished their goal which was to restore peace at the club,' said Gullit. 'Slowly they have gone up and they can still win the title.

'Mourinho was such a big hype that he drew all the attention and now you have somebody who is quiet. Grant is himself, he is a different character and suddenly the attention is somewhere else. Now it's all about the football and Chelsea are winning their games.'

Indeed, Chelsea are unbeaten in 16 matches since losing at Manchester United while Arsenal have wobbled with defeats at Sevilla and Middlesbrough and a draw in Newcastle.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown expects a hostile reception for left back Ashley Cole on his first return to Arsenal since his controversial transfer across London last year.

'Ashley will get a lot of stick because of the manner in which it all happened,' said Keown. 'Arsenal went a certain way in their development with young players and Chelsea have just gone and spent money. So for them to take one of our players away, it hurt.'