Jose Mourinho was named as manager of Chelsea on Wednesday, ending weeks of speculation that the former Porto coach was joining the English premier league club.

Mourinho, who led the Portuguese side to victory in the Champions League final last week, has signed a three-year contract with Chelsea, who fired Claudio Ranieri as coach on Monday.

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"Chelsea represents a fantastic challenge for me," Mourinho said in a statement. "It is a great club with a world-class squad of players. The plans and ambitions for Chelsea excite me and I am sure they will do the same for the fans whose incredible support I have already witnessed.

"The English Premiership is recognised as the best league in the world and I'm really excited about the prospect of competing week in and week out at the highest level in England as well as in Europe."

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon welcomed Mourinho to Stamford Bridge.

"The appointment of Jose Mourinho is all about building on the foundations which we have already established at Chelsea," Kenyon said.

"He represents the new generation of football coaches and we are convinced he can take us up to the next level, both in England and Europe.

"His record of sustained success makes him perfect for what we want to achieve at Chelsea."

British newspapers reported that Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich would make Mourinho the highest-paid coach in world football, though the club declined to reveal the figures involved.

Mourinho led Porto to successive Portuguese league titles and the 2003 UEFA Cup before last week's Champions League final victory over Monaco.

Italian Ranieri's four-year reign at Stamford Bridge ended after he led Chelsea to second place in the premier league and the Champions League semi-finals in Abramovich's first season at the club.