 After a long @-@ running legal battle , Bates reunited the stadium freehold with the club in 1992 by doing a deal with the banks of the property developers , who had been bankrupted by a market crash . Chelsea 's form in the new Premier League was unconvincing , although they did reach the 1994 FA Cup Final with Glenn Hoddle . It was not until the appointment of Ruud Gullit as player @-@ manager in 1996 that their fortunes changed . He added several top international players to the side , as the club won the FA Cup in 1997 and established themselves as one of England 's top sides again . Gullit was replaced by Gianluca Vialli , who led the team to victory in the League Cup Final , the UEFA Cup Winners ' Cup Final and the UEFA Super Cup in 1998 , the FA Cup in 2000 and their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League . Vialli was sacked in favour of Claudio Ranieri , who guided Chelsea to the 2002 FA Cup Final and Champions League qualification in 2002 – 03 . 
