Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has returned to the club’s coaching staff as a technical mentor to young players under Frank Lampard.
The 46-year-old, who was an essential part of the Blues’ successive Premier League-winning teams of 2004/05 and 2005/06, will work closely with individual academy players, tracking technical performances in both training and matches.
He will also visit Chelsea players out on loan, alongside former team-mates Carlo Cudicini and Paulo Ferreira, to give them regular feedback on their development.
Makelele said: “I am very happy to come back home. This club gave me a lot and now I want to give back and help the young Chelsea players dreaming of a career in football.
“I want to use all my experience to help them become professionals in every aspect and I am looking forward to getting started.”
Club director Marina Granovskaia added: “We are very pleased to welcome Claude back to Chelsea, where he made such an impact during five excellent years as a player.
“His long and successful career on the field, added to his winning mentality and experience as a coach in recent years, make him the ideal person to pass on his expertise to our talented youngsters. He will be a valuable asset to both our academy and first-team coaching staff.”
Makelele has previously coached under Carlo Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain and was assistant manager to Paul Clement at Swansea before most recently working a
s manager of Belgian top-flight side Eupen.
