Anthony Barry set to stay with Chelsea after all as part of Thomas Tuchel’s coaching staff — report

Chelsea first-team coach Anthony Barry was expected to leave the club after getting an offer to become League One side Fleetwood Town’s new manager, but according to the latest reports, he has had a change of heart and has turned down the offer.

He will continue as part of new head coach Thomas Tuchel’s staff instead, and is said to be looking forward to learning from the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund tactician. Chelsea’s supposed last-ditch persuasions must have worked!

Barry, who joined Chelsea from Wigan Athletic just last summer, spent 3.5 years with Fleetwood as a player, and those connections undoubtedly helped pose a dilemma, especially given his reported ambitions to move into management. That said, Barry’s just 34, so he has plenty of time in that regard, and the opportunity to work with someone like Tuchel might not come along every day.

This is surely a big boost to Chelsea since Barry has been credited with improving our defending and especially set-piece play, among various other coaching functions. He is very highly-rated, with even Tuchel speaking well already of the team’s set pieces and opposition analysis/scouting.

So, both Barry and former Chelsea youth coach Joe Edwards are set to stay in their previous first-team coaching roles, and working with Tuchel and his assistants Arno Michels and Zsolt Low going forward.