Chelsea youth coach Filipe Coelho set to leave club to join Strasbourg

New York Times

11 hours ago

Chelsea development squad coach Filipe Coelho is set to leave his post to become Liam Rosenior's assistant at BlueCo sister-club Strasbourg.
Coelho was hired by Chelsea to lead their development squad in July 2024 after a season as under-23 coach at Portuguese club Estoril, having previously worked in a variety of roles at Benfica's youth academy from 2006 to 2023.
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Chelsea's development squad finished third in the Premier League 2 table under Coelho, but were beaten 6-0 by Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the play-off stage.
Despite a disappointing end to the campaign, Coelho was highly rated at Cobham and earned credit for the quality of his training sessions and for implementing a progressive style of play.
'It's been an incredible journey,' Coelho said in an interview with Chelsea at the end of May. 'From the very start, I felt welcomed by everyone here. The atmosphere has been so family-oriented and that's really stuck with me.
'The quality of the players was clear from day one, but what stood out most was how open everyone has been to my ideas. It's been a fantastic environment for growth. I'm proud of the progress we've made as a team.'
Coelho will now move to France to bolster Rosenior's backroom staff as Strasbourg attempt to build upon a positive Ligue 1 season which saw them finish seventh, narrowly missing out on European qualification by virtue of goal difference on the final day.
Rosenior signed a new contract in April to commit himself to the club until June 2028, and Chelsea plan to send Mike Penders to Strasbourg for 2025-26 to continue their development in Ligue 1. Mamadou Sarr has also been loaned back to his former club in France after completing a €14million (£11.9m; $14.4m) transfer to Stamford Bridge in June.
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