Chelsea unity will be tested by Grant's arrival

Chelsea must stop the infighting that damaged the club last season, chief executive Peter Kenyon said yesterday. "I hope we don't repeat last year. I think it over-shadowed a lot of positives," he said. "It was a tough year for everybody."

There will be an immediate test of that plea for unity with the arrival next week of Avram Grant, the Israeli coach who is to be appointed Chelsea's sporting director. He was not wanted by manager Jose Mourinho, who came close to leaving Chelsea and still has an uneasy relationship, with the club's head of scouting, Frank Arnesen.

Kenyon confirmed that Grant, Portsmouth's director of football, will join "in the next few days". But he refused to discuss the role he will take up at Chelsea after developing a close relationship with owner Roman Abramovich and the agent Pini Zahavi.

Sources at the club claim Grant will be a threat to Mourinho and be given wide-ranging duties including coaching, scouting and the recruitment of players. Those close to the manager, however, insist the person who should feel under threat is Arnesen who will see his empire reduced.

Kenyon was clearer when discussing Chelsea's transfer dealings this summer and revealed that Florent Malouda is expected to join soon. Chelsea are close to agreeing a fee with Lyon of €20m (£13.5m) for the French winger who has also attracted interest from Arsenal and Liverpool, although both have dropped out as the fee has risen.

Kenyon claimed that Chelsea would then complete their squad with the defender Alex arriving from PSV Eindhoven. With Talal Ben Haim, Steve Sidwell and Claudio Pizarro already signed - without fees being paid - Kenyon said it meant a complete sweep of Chelsea's main summer targets. He insisted the club had no intention of signing a new right-back - ruling out moves for Tottenham's Pascal Chimbonda or Seville's Daniel Alves - and said that the return of Glen Johnson, from a loan spell at Portsmouth, was sufficient. "If Jose was here then I'm sure he'd be saying 'I'm happy at where I am'," Kenyon said.

Kenyon also insisted that Arjen Robben, Frank Lampard and John Terry - the trio who have still not signed new contracts - will not be sold. "We've had no offers for any of our players and if we did we would reject them," Kenyon said. In the case of Robben, at least, that resolve will be tested.

Kenyon was speaking at the opening of Chelsea's new £30m, 140-acre training complex in Cobham, Surrey, and said the construction confirmed Abramovich's commitment to the club. One of the more hi-tech features of the facility is finger-print recognition that allows players access into the changing areas.