Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole will take up a coaching role with the club in the new year, according to the Telegraph.
The 37-year old former England international announced his retirement from playing football last month, claiming at the time that he was ready to move forward and into the coaching aspect of the game.
Now he has made that step, and will be expected to move between various age groups at Chelsea initially, before being assigned a specific team next season.
Cole will join an academy set-up famed for their success in recent years, with the club’s Under-18s having won the last five FA Youth Cups, although they have already been eliminated from the tournament this season.
Cole began his coaching badges during the twilight stage of his career, while he played in the second tier of United States football for Tampa Bay Rowdies since 2016.
