There will be a belief this season amongst Chelsea fans that owner Roman Abramovich has this time around appointed the right coach. Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari arrives after leaving his role as Portugal head coach and there is hope that he will bring a return to winning trophies this season. Following the double defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League and the Champions League, Avram Grant was sacked as Chelsea failed to win anything for the first time in four years. Scolari is seen by many as similar in personality to Mourinho and his winning mentality is sure to prove an important factor this year. His flamboyance and confidence in front of the media is certainly reminiscent of Chelsea’s previous manager and he will provide many entertaining moments throughout the season.

During the summer Chelsea’s transfer activity has been relatively quiet in comparison to recent years. Portuguese attacking full back Jose Bosingwa has joined for £16.75 Million from Porto. His performances during the European Championships this summer demonstrate that Chelsea will be acquiring a very good player. Scolari has drawn from his time as Portugal coach by also signing Barcelona playmaker Deco. In recent years his performances have been poor but perhaps a change of club may bring him back to his best.

As is the norm for top European clubs, Chelsea have been linked with numerous players over the last few months. The most likely deal to happen is probably for Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Robinho. He is said to be unhappy at the Bernabeu and a deal may take place before the end of August.

Chelsea have also sold a number of fringe players during the summer. France midfielder Claude Makelele has moved to Paris Saint Germain after being released. The 35-year old leaves Stamford Bridge after five successful seasons. Also departing are defenders Khalid Boulahrouz and Tal Ben Heim who move to VFB Stuttgart and Manchester City respectively. Neither player made a positive impact during their time at Chelsea. Scolari has also allowed midfielder Steve Sidwell to move to Aston Villa for £5 Million.

Such is the level of expectation at Chelsea, both from the owner and the supporters, anything less than winning a trophy is the minimum that Scolari has to deliver. Perhaps his biggest problem will be how to keep all of his players happy. Particularly in the midfield there are a mass of quality international midfielders who cannot all play, all of the time. There was a lot of talk in the summer about Frank Lampard’s future, and so how he, Deco, Essien and Michael Ballack fit will be interesting.

Didier Drogba is likely to stay this season and his presence gives Chelsea something that they do not have with any other striker. It will be a major surprise this season, if they are not challenging for the league title and the Champions League and with Scolari promising a more attacking style of football, it could be a very interesting year at Stamford Bridge.