Chelsea's players have no idea whether Avram Grant will stay on as first-team coach of the West London club, despite leading the team to the brink of a Barclays Premier League and Champions League double, according to John Obi Mikel.

The 21-year-old midfield player said that Grant commands the respect of the Chelsea squad, but such is the mystique surrounding Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, that he and his team-mates may not know that the Israeli has been replaced until a successor is announced.

“You never know about Abramovich because he never speaks,” Mikel said. “You can never hear him say a word in newspapers. You never know what is on his mind. So we wait; we wait until someone steps forward and says, ‘Listen, I'm the new manager.' But, for now, we'll see Avram as our manager.”

Mikel, who joined Chelsea from Lyn Oslo, the Norwegian club, two years ago amid controversial circumstances that led to the London club paying Manchester United £12million in compensation after the player reneged on a deal to join Sir Alex Ferguson's squad (Lyn received £4million), said that the Chelsea dressing-room was fully behind Grant.

“Avram Grant has come in and is doing a very good job,” he said. “Everyone is happy right now and I think that's why we are having success. All credit to him, he's been a fantastic man. We just have to keep going and, hopefully, we'll get our goal of winning the title and the Champions League.”

Chelsea, who are at home to Bolton Wanderers in their final league match, need United to slip up on two occasions - tomorrow against Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium and in Moscow - if they are to complete the double. Mikel, speaking at the WKD Nuts Football Awards yesterday, said: “We are in a position where we have to win two games, two titles. We just have to keep doing our job and doing what we're doing.”

The Nigeria player said that, despite the uncertainty over Grant's future, he is banking on Chelsea's big names to carry the team to glory.

“We've got the biggest players in the world,” Mikel said. “At Chelsea, we've got big heart, big players, great personality.

“If you look at the team, you see Ballack, Shevchenko, you look at Lampard, Terry, Makelele, Drogba, Essien, they are all great players. Individually, we can win games and this is what has kept us going. And Avram Grant. I think he's doing really well.

“I think we have worked very, very hard getting where we are right now and we just have to keep going.”