John Terry has become the latest ex-Chelsea player to head back to the club and take on a role behind the scenes.
Terry – who captained the west London outfit to five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and Europa League before waving goodbye in 2017 – is embarking on a coaching consultancy post in the Blues’ academy.
The 41-year-old will not be the only former player employed at Cobham, however, as a number of his old team-mates have already returned to take up coaching, scouting or advisory posts.
And in light of Terry’s return, Sportsmail has taken a look at the other ex-Chelsea stars working for the club after hanging up their boots.
John Terry has become the latest ex-Chelsea player to head back for a role behind the scenes
Petr Cech – technical and performance advisor
The most influential of Chelsea’s former players behind the scenes is Cech, who cemented a legacy as one of the greatest Premier League goalkeepers of all time during his 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge.
After calling time on his playing career, the Czech shot-stopper returned to Chelsea in 2019 as a technical and performance advisor – a new role designed to provide support on all football matters throughout the club and maintain strong bonds between the men’s and academy teams.
He is also the link between the head coach, currently Thomas Tuchel, and director Marina Granovskaia, who serves as Roman Abramovich’s right-hand woman.
Petr Cech has spent two-and-a-half years working as a technical and performance advisor
Cech is one of the club’s greatest ever players, starring in goal for many years
Initially Cech was helping former team-mate Frank Lampard, Tuchel’s predecessor in west London, navigate through his first major job in management before he fell victim to the axe in January of this year.
Lampard and Cech enjoyed great success together in their playing days, but in the wake of the former’s sacking The Telegraph reported that their relationship had become significantly strained.
The ex-Chelsea goalkeeper is said to have sided with Granovskaia when the decision to offload Lampard was being mooted, highlighting the level of influence he has in crucial decisions at board level.
Claude Makelele – technical mentor
One of the best midfielders of his generation, Makelele also headed back to Chelsea in 2019 to take on a role as a youth coach and technical mentor to academy players.
The Frenchman, who won two Premier League titles in five years with the Blues, is mainly based at their Cobham training complex, where he tracks the technical performance of youngsters in both training and competitive matches.
He also works closely with players who are out on loan, visiting them at their temporary clubs to provide in-person feedback on their performances.
Makelele said upon his return: ‘I am very happy to come back home. This club gave me a lot and now I want to give back and help the young Chelsea players dreaming of a career in football.
‘I want to use all my experience to help them become professionals in every aspect and I am looking forward to getting started.’
Claude Makelele returned to Chelsea the same year as Cech to mentor academy players
Midfield legend Makelele in action against Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003
Ashley Cole – academy coach
Chelsea really were getting the band back together in 2019, as their iconic left-back followed Lampard, Cech and Makelele home to the Bridge the very same year to work as an academy coach.
Over the past two years Cole has spent the majority of his time at Cobham, putting the Blues’ stars of tomorrow through their paces in training, running the rule over competitive matches and planning future sessions.
Now he is juggling that position with a role in the England set-up, as in July he was appointed Under-21s assistant coach.
The 107-cap England defender ventured into both jobs with a wealth of experience, having won eight major honours in his time as a Chelsea player.
Ashley Cole juggles working as a Blues academy coach with his role as England U21 assistant
Cole was a world-class left-back for both Chelsea and England during a great career
Carlo Cudicini – technical loan coach and club ambassador
Cudicini has enjoyed a number of different roles since heading back to Chelsea, first taking on a dual position as club ambassador and assistant first-team coach upon return in 2016.
After initially working alongside fellow Italian Antonio Conte, the former Blues goalkeeper continued in the same position when compatriot Maurizio Sarri took charge in 2018.
Yet Sarri only lasted 12 months in the hotseat and when Lampard replaced him a year later Cudicini was deemed surplus to requirements as an assistant manager.
Instead, he moved into a new role as a technical coach for loan players, which became available when Eddie Newton vacated it to join Lampard’s backroom staff.
Cudicini, who made 216 appearances for Chelsea, still works in the position today, assisting the club’s young players who are aiming to develop out on loan.
Carlo Cudicini (left) has enjoyed a number of different roles since returning to Chelsea
Cudicini was a renowned shot-stopper during his years in the Chelsea first team
Paulo Ferreira – technical loan coach and club ambassador
Like Cudicini, the ex-Chelsea right-back is working as a club ambassador and technical loan coach after returning to west London upon retirement in 2013.
Ferreira, who made 217 appearances in nine years with the Blues as a player, monitored the progress of youngsters out on loan with Newton before Cudicini assumed the top role in 2019.
While he only featured 16 times in his final two years at the Bridge, Ferreira won a total of 11 major honours for Chelsea, including three Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Paulo Ferreira (right), pictured here with Cech, is a technical loan coach at Stamford Bridge
Ferreira in action against Liverpool’s Luis Garcia in the Champions League in his playing days
Henrique Hilario – goalkeeper coach
Hilario only made 39 appearances in his eight-year spell at Chelsea while serving as a back-up goalkeeper for No 1 Cech, yet after retiring in 2014 he returned to the club two years later to become an assistant goalkeeper coach under Conte.
He maintained his position on the coaching staff under Sarri and then Lampard, whom he shared a dressing room with for the entirety of his Blues playing stint.
Having initially joined as an assistant, the 46-year-old now leads senior goalkeeper training at Cobham, helping Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga prepare for upcoming first-team fixtures.
As a result, he likely informs Tuchel which shot-stopper is best equipped for specific in-game situations, including when the Chelsea head coach brought Kepa on to perform heroics in their UEFA Super Cup penalty shootout win over Villarreal.
Henrique Hilario (right) has worked his way up to become the Blues’ lead goalkeeping coach
Hilario in action against West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge in August 2011
Tore Andre Flo – technical loan coach
The 6ft 4in striker returned to Chelsea and initially embarked on an academy coaching role following his retirement in 2012.
Flo enjoyed an incredibly successful three-year stint at the Bridge as a player, scoring 50 goals in 163 appearances and winning the FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup, while also playing a key role in their run to the 1999/00 Champions League quarter-finals.
He now works alongside Cudicini and Ferreira as a technical loan coach while also studying for his coaching badges.
However, last month Chelsea announced that Flo will be leaving the club in January to become head coach of Norwegian second-tier outfit Sogndal, where he began and finished his professional career.
Tore Andre Flo rejoined the Blues as an academy coach and is now a technical loan coach
Flo was an unorthodox striker and here scores against Barcelona at the Nou Camp in 2000
Ross Turnbull – academy goalkeeper scout
Without a doubt the most surprising name on this list, Turnbull was brought to Chelsea as a squad goalkeeper in 2009 and only featured 19 times over the next four years before leaving for Doncaster.
After further stints with Barnsley and Leeds he called time on his playing career in 2016 and became an opposition goalkeeper analyst for the latter, before taking up a similar role back at Chelsea a year later.
The Bishop Auckland man then spent a few years as a first-team goalkeeper coach at Hartlepool, but earlier this year he returned to the Bridge to become an academy goalkeeper scout.
Ross Turnbull was once a surprise signing and now works behind the scenes at Chelsea
