It is now official! Chelsea announced today that Joe Cole, the legendary attacking midfielder/winger that won six titles at Stamford Bridge over a seven-year career at Stamford Bridge from 2003 to 2010, will join our Academy setup as a technical coach next year.
We are pleased to confirm that Chelsea legend Joe Cole will return to the club in 2019 as a technical academy coach.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 28, 2018
Welcome back, Joe! https://t.co/dPjQchgpNl
As per the club’s announcement in the official website, Cole will work with players across various age groups including the U18 and development squads while continuing furthering his studies in football coaching. It is an opportunity he is quite eager to take on, as he hopes to help our young players with aid from his vast experience as a star player at a big club.
“Looking to the future, I want to stay involved in the game and I feel I can offer a lot as a coach. To lend my experience to help other young footballers achieve their dreams, just like I did, is a big passion of mine.”
-Joe Cole; Source: Chelsea FC
Our head of youth development, Neil Bath, is also quite happy with Cole’s return to Cobham. He is another former Chelsea player, following the steps of Carlo Cudicini, Henrique Hilario, Eddie Newton and many others, who can contribute a lot to the club off the pitch after so many years showing their loyalty to the team’s cause on the field.
“We are delighted Joe has agreed to return to Chelsea and coach in the Academy. It has always been our philosophy to have a number of ex-players involved in our coaching structure so they can pass on their unique experiences and what it means to play for Chelsea.”
“Joe will work across a number of age groups and with various staff to ensure he gets to experience the full range of our programme. I’m sure sharing his experiences and football knowledge, combined with his obvious passion for the game, will help enormously with the development of our young players.”
-Neil Bath; Source: Chelsea FC
Welcome back, Joe!