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What's the story?
Former Chelsea star, Joe Cole is set to take up a coaching role at Chelsea academy, according to reports from the Telegraph. The 37-year-old called it time on his illustrious career and the story suggests that he will move between the club's age groups at first, before being assigned a specific team.
In case you didn't know...
Cole spent seven years at Chelsea as a winger and netted 40 goals in 281 appearances for the Blues. He went on to play for Liverpool, boyhood club West Ham United, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Lille and Tampa Bay Rowdies. For the national side, the Englishman earned 56 caps and scored 10 goals.
After Frank Lampard and John Terry, he will be the latest of the club's best to enter management.
The heart of the matter
Just after his retirement, he had hinted:
“Looking to the future, I want to stay involved in the game. I feel I can offer a lot as a coach and have really enjoyed the opportunity to undertake some of these duties with the Rowdies. To lend my experience to help other young footballers achieve their dreams, just like I did, is a big passion of mine.”
Under the club’s academy director Neil Bath, The Blues have produced both world-class players and coaches, as well. Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was a youth team boss at Stamford Bridge, and so was former youth team coach Jody Morris (presently working under Frank Lampard at Derby County), under whom the young Blues won a treble, including their 5th consecutive youth FA Cup trophy.
Having received a UEFA A License already, he is expected to start right away, just after the turn of the year.
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What's next?
It will be absolutely fantastic for the club to have one of their finest players back with them. He's a top individual, who will be working with arguably the strongest youth setup in world football, should the move materialize.
Meanwhile, the first team travels to Crystal Palace on 30 December as they aim to end 2018 on a high.
