Grant lawyers up for Chelsea split

Avram Grant (pictured), the Chelsea coach who was sacked at the weekend following his failure to win the English Premier League and Champions League tournaments, has hired one of Britain's most high-profile divorce lawyers, Anthony Julius, to help him negotiate better severance terms from Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich.

Julius is best known for representing Diana, Princess of Wales, in her divorce from the Prince of Wales, and Sir Paul McCartney in his battle with Heather Mills. Grant has recruited the lawyer after two days of talks with Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon broke down because the severance offer – understood to be £5.2m - compared unfavourably with the £12m received by his predecessor, Jose Mourinho.

If his relationship with Chelsea turns even nastier, it will be a remarkable development given that he was originally given the job on the basis of his close friendship with Abramovich. The Israeli coach has told friends he feels betrayed at the manner of his dismissal; he claims he was told he was sacked only on Saturday morning, when it had been an open secret in football circles for weeks.

Julius, a consultant with Mishcon de Reya, the London law firm, has already helped Grant. Last December, he negotiated a new, four-year contract that resulted in an annual salary increase from £980,000 to £2.4m.