Carlo Cudicini finds new role in Chelsea loan player coaching department — reports

Despite a recent report that Carlo Cudicini has joined the coaching setup for the Chelsea Development Squad (U23), it would appear that his new role is actually in the loan player department.

With Frank Lampard creating an all-new coaching team (albeit made up of very familiar faces), there was unfortunately no room for Carlo Cudicini, who had served as assistant to the head coach for both Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri. But unlike Gianfranco Zola, who opted to strike back out on his own, or the rest of Sarri’s staff who were let go, Cudicini has apparently agreed to stay with the team, shifting departments to fill the vacancy left by Eddie Newton.

Newton’s now part of Lampard’s coaching staff, so Cudicini has effectively replaced him in the loan department, where he will work with Paulo Ferreira and Christophe Lollichon, both of whom have been in those roles (“loan player technical coach”) for some time now. (Tore Andre Flo may or may not be there still as well.)

Obviously, there is plenty of overlap between the “loan group” and the “development squad”, especially as players’ futures get sorted out, but Cudicini will not be actually part of new U23 head coach Andy Myers’ coaching staff.

Cudicini’s new role has not been officially confirmed yet — the official website still lists him as assistant/ambassador — but Chelsea are generally very slow and generally quite reticent with such updates.

On a related note, the Development Squad did gain a new coach recently, with the apparently highly rated Eric Ramsay joining from Strawberry Shrewsbury Town last week. Ramsay joins Myers and assistant manager Jon Harley in the U23 group.

“It was a really difficult decision because I’ve got a strong connection with Shrewsbury and the Town itself. It was my club as a kid and it’s a club I’ve always followed.

“[Chelsea are] a club that are doing really good things in terms of youth development and it’s something I unfortunately felt I couldn’t turn down. It’s disappointing but at this point in my life and my career, I felt like it was the right decision to make. The work that I’ve done with the first team in the last however many months has been challenging and has definitely developed me as a coach.

“However the chance to go and work in one of the most renowned Academies in Europe, it was a chance I couldn’t turn down and I think it’s something that will help me develop professionally and personally and I hope can add to what I’ve taken from my time at Shrewsbury.”

-Eric Ramsay; Source: Shrewsbury Town

Best of luck to everyone in their new positions!