Ruud Gullit stormed out of Chelsea and out of English football yesterday after being told he was no longer wanted at Stamford Bridge. The Dutchman's stalling tactics and huge financial demands over his new contract have led to exasperation among the Chelsea hierarchy.

Despite continuing to maintain he wanted to go nowhere, Gullit kept the Chelsea board waiting five months before finally starting to talk terms about his future.

But, while Gullit wanted a £2 million, two-year deal from this summer to continue in his dual role of player-manager, Chelsea were prepared to offer him just a lucrative, management-only con tract.

After reaching an impasse at a 40-minute meeting last week, the Chelsea board decided enough was enough and Wednesday night offered the post to Gianluca Vialli.

When the Italian accepted virtually instantly, Chelsea managing director Colin Hutchinson decided it was not possible for the incumbent to stay on until May with his named successor already in the dressing room.

He summoned Gullit to Stamford Bridge early yesterday, and, as the implication of what he was saying sank in, the man who guided Chelsea to their first trophy in 26 years last May lost his famous cool.

"We had a meeting at lunchtime today, but it didn't get as far as me telling him that he was being replaced by Gianluca," said Hutchinson at a hastily arranged news conference yesterday evening.

"He decided to bring an abrupt end to the meeting - he walked off."

His walk took him out of the club and out of the game, as Vialli was officially unveiled as Chelsea's seventh manager in the last decade.

Perhaps chairman Ken Bates - who conducted the conference with the pomp and autocratic bearing of a Roman emperor - had been steeling himself for this for some time.

Certainly Gullit's delaying tactics had jarred, and Hutchinson said the backroom staff feared for their futures as a consequence of the manager's refusal to commit himself.

Gullit, catapulted into management when Glenn Hoddle quit the club to take over as England coach, last night insisted it had always been his intention to sign a new deal with the club.

He said in a statement: "I was astounded to find out from the media that I have been replaced as Chelsea coach by Gianluca Vialli.

"I was only asked to attend one meeting in the last six months to discuss the future. This meeting took place on Thursday, February 5th, when Colin Hutchinson and myself talked very amicably about a new two-year extension to my contract.

"At no time during my discussion was there any doubt in my mind that I would re-sign. In fact, I specifically told anyone who asked that I would sign a new deal after more talks - there were no more talks!

"It is incorrect for Colin Hutchinson to state that Chelsea Football Club tried to negotiate with me for three months - there were no negotiations."

There have been suggestions that Gullit had already agreed to take over from the resigning Guus Hiddink as Dutch national coach after the World Cup, while he has also been linked with the jobs at former clubs Feyenoord and AC Milan.

Gullit had always dismissed those reports, and Bates and Hutchinson said they were not aware of any options elsewhere he might have been minded to take up.

But yesterday's startling developments are proof that Chelsea decided to more than call his bluff in a manner that left Blues fans stunned.

As Bates, loving the limelight as he conducted proceedings, point ed out: "The King is dead; long live the King."