Jose Eduardo Simoes, who gave the new Stamford Bridge manager his first job in club management, is confident the Portuguese coach will bring his new side silverware
He took the club from bottom of the league to 10 points clear of relegation and Simoes believes the 33-year-old is talented enough to bring Chelsea silverware back to Stamford Bridge after joining from Europa League winners Porto.
"I could tell after our first meeting that he is a great human being, a natural leader,” Simoes told BBC Sport.
"He will be successful at Chelsea and in two years' time I can certainly imagine him winning the Premier League and the Champions League."
Villas-Boas spent seven years working under Jose Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea and Inter but decided against joining the two-time Champions League winner at Real Madrid.
After less than a season at Academica, he was hired by Porto – the club he supported as a child – and won four trophies in his one and only season there.
Although he did not stay at his club long, Simoes has fond memories of the record-breaking coach and thinks he will take his considerable talents and thrive at Chelsea.
“Villas-Boas did some very good work at my club," he said. “He improved the players' self-esteem and produced some quality football too - if he had been there for the entire season, we could have finished as high as fifth.
“He has got talent, he is a natural leader and he is very easy to work with. He communicates well, has a clear and well-structured message, he likes 'mind-games' and makes good use of them.
“He knows what he wants and how to achieve it and he creates a positive working atmosphere around him.
“Villas-Boas is a different kind of leader to Mourinho, but he shares the same capacity to motivate his players. I am very proud of all the successes he has had and of the ones yet to come."
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