Chelsea U21 assistant manager joins Vitesse on a one-year deal

Chelsea and Eredivisie club Vitesse have had a strong partnership since 2010, mostly involving young prospects from Chelsea getting loaned out to get first team football in the Netherlands. The latest move should only strengthen this link, as Chelsea's U21 assistant manager Andy Myers has joined Vitesse on a one-year contract.

Andy Myers als assistent-trainer toegevoegd aan technische staf #Vitesse https://t.co/cl4jghR6Ci pic.twitter.com/eDYyr8kGZs

— Vitesse (@MijnVitesse) 11 July 2016

According to the Daily Mail, Myers will be returning to Chelsea once his contract with Vitesse ends. The Blues have already sent English midfielder Lewis Baker and Brazilian attacking midfielder Nathan back to Arnhem on year-long loan deals, extending their links with the club from the previous season.

The 42-year-old Myers played for Chelsea as a defender during his footballing career from 1991 to 1999, making 106 appearances for the club during his eight-year spell. He then went on to play for Bradford City, Portsmouth and Colchester United before retiring at Brentford by the end of the 2004-05 season. He made his return to Chelsea initially as an U15 coach in 2011, becoming the team's U21 assistant manager a year later.

Myers will be an assistant coach on Vitesse's first team, working alongside manager Henk Fraser. Although it's only a short term stay, it should be a great learning experience for Myers, as the club continue to focus their efforts on developing a "homegrown" coaching core.

Ian Howell moves up from coaching the U13s to be Adi Viveash's new assistant for the U21s.