Chelsea announce behind the scenes change as Portuguese rising star heads to Strasbourg | OneFootball

It’s a busy week at Chelsea, with players coming and going at some speed.

There are also changes being made on the coaching side. Last summer saw former Estoril and Benfica coach Filipe Coelho brought into the setup as Chelsea’s Under-21 head coach as part of a major shakeup of the academy setup.

Today, the club have announced on their official website that the Portuguese coach has been switched to another part of the BlueCo umbrella – he will start as Liam Rosenior’s assistant at Strasbourg.

Coelho given senior upgrade with sideways BlueCo move

Filipe Coelho speaking to the media at Estoril.

The 40 year old did well in charge of our Development Squad, leading them to a 3rd place finish in PL2 and helping a number of young players make the transition to a first team debut.

Academy technical director Glenn van der Kraan, who also arrived in last summer’s shake-up, had the following to say about Coelho:

“Despite his time with us lasting just over a year, Filipe has made an important impact on our programme, influencing our football identity, enforcing the highest of standards and performing at the highest level every single day.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Filipe to continue his coaching journey and we look forward to seeing where that takes him in the future.”

McFarlane takes major step up to fill Coelho’s shoes

Coelho will now be working as a number 2 at senior level, and his work as a number 1 at junior level will be taken over by Calum McFarlane. McFarlane arrived this summer from Southampton, who he took to the finals of the PL2 playoffs last season.

The impressive young coach now gets a chance to lead a group which is full of talent, working on the strong base laid down in the last 12 months by Coelho.