Ashley Cole appointed England U21 assistant coach

After a multi-month search, England have appointed a new head coach for their men’s under-21 national team, with former Everton player Lee Carsley stepping up from the same role with the under-20 squad. It’s certainly not an out-of-the-box appointment, but Carsley’s been joined by new a new assistant coach, who’s none other than Chelsea legend and current youth coach Ashley Cole!

“Ashley is a brilliant addition to the staff [...] I’ve been on courses with Ashley during lockdown and been impressed. He is committed to coaching and player development so a lot of our thoughts are aligned.”

-Lee Carsley; source: England

Cole returned to Chelsea two years ago after retiring from a player-coach position at Derby County and following Frank Lampard back to the SW6. Ash will stay on with Chelsea, where he’s been mainly working with the U15s, and do the national team job part-time (similar to what Steve Holland was doing before eventually turning to England full time).

“I’m really happy to get this opportunity to support Lee and work with the best youngsters in the country. I loved playing for the national team and to now get the chance to work as an England coach is a special feeling. St. George’s Park is an amazing place and I can’t wait to get started. I want to do my best to help young players to develop, and also learn from some brilliant people at the same time.”

-Ashley Cole; source: England

Good luck, Ash!