In September 2023, Claude Makelele announced his departure from Chelsea after 4 years as a technical advisor for the club’s young players. It was a surprising farewell when the 51-year-old former midfielder’s work at the Blues was still unfinished.
To understand why Makelele parted ways with Stamford Bridge, let’s go back to his meeting in 2019. It was part of a behind-the-scenes reunion, when former boss Roman Abramovich wanted his former players to Chelsea takes on a role in the team’s technical apparatus.
Speaking to The Athletic, Makelele said: “I returned to Chelsea after Roman, Frank (Lampard) and Petr (Cech) called me to try to develop Chelsea’s DNA. The players need to understand that. We built the team with Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Di Matteo, and all of us followed this path.
We have been successful and we have to make the young players and the new ones understand how to achieve success on their own again in the Premier League. Even if the owners are different, the DNA never changes, the foundation never changes.”
Makelele began his coaching career with Carlo Ancelotti and former teammate Laurent Blanc at PSG. This was followed by technical director roles at Monaco and Bastia. After that, Makelele assisted Paul Clement – who also worked as an assistant at PSG – in the Swansea shirt, before leading Belgian club Eupen in 2017. Two years later, he made an emotional return to Chelsea.
Makelele (middle) has reaped much glory with Chelsea
Makelele said the four years back in London have been wonderful, alongside old friends and new players. He said, “We started to understand a new strategy, and I worked a lot with Petr and Carlo (Cudicini) to develop the loan sector at the club. We had success with Conor Gallagher, Marc Guehi, and Billy Gilmour.”.
Makelele is the one who prepares players for professional life. He continued, “I enjoyed myself spending time in the loan department helping the players. When I came here, I coached each of them. This is the way to go, helping the players understand how they have to play, and that will show your quality.”
That training worked, and Makelele became a trusted advisor to a number of Chelsea players. “An example is Trevoh Chalobah, who used to play as a midfielder. I helped Trevoh understand that he is not a midfielder. Trevoh has to play in defense because it allows him to read the game. So we talked a lot. He tried it once, said he felt comfortable, and started following his path,” Makelele said.
Makelele gave Chalobah many instructions
Chalobah’s development includes a loan period at Lorient in the 2020–21 season. “I spoke to the coach and sporting director of Lorient to make sure they knew that we wanted Chalobah to progress in this way. That makes me happy because now he has a position, and this is the way we need him to progress. working with younger players. The academy works well. We build the new generation, but with the right mentality. All the young players understand the focus to make the fans’ dreams come true “They need support, they need to understand the rules and the club’s position, which is to conquer titles,” Makelele confided.
Under Abramovich, Chelsea won 18 major titles. The fact that the Russian billionaire had to leave Chelsea signaled a significant change at the club. Makelele will retain his position under new boss Todd Boehly, starting in May 2022. But last September, the former midfielder decided that it was time to leave.
“I stopped 6 months ago because Chelsea’s new project is different from the one I built. Now it’s a different project, it will take a lot of time. It’s a problem for Chelsea because they don’t there is time. Roman chose to go step by step because we are learning day by day. But that is not happening anymore. We need to be positive and give them time because it is other players, a world different system”, Makelele explained.
Some Chelsea players don’t have Chelsea DNA in them, according to Makelele
Since Boehly bought Chelsea, the team has invested more than 1 billion pounds in massively recruiting players , thereby marking an incredible change. The carefully managed path from academy to first team is naturally interrupted by a large influx of new and young players. Not all fit the bill or are ready to follow in the footsteps of the successful players Chelsea have had in the past.
Makelele said: “I know in football, everywhere, not just Chelsea, some players do not have the DNA of the club. When you buy a team, you need to understand the foundation and the difficulty to reach the level Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in London, so adapting to the pressure is even more difficult. The fans know what they need. They see that if a player is not ready, he will not be successful. “.
In the summer of 2023, Chelsea spent more than 100 million pounds to recruit Moises Caicedo from Brighton. Speaking about the Ecuadorian international, Makelele said: “He needs to learn. Caicedo is a great player, but if Chelsea doesn’t give him the foundation, he will have difficulty and not be able to play at a high level.” than before in the Premier League. Caicedo needs to study, read and it is very important that people send him this message.”
So with Makelele and the others gone, who can talk about Chelsea’s DNA now? “I don’t know. This is my club and I love this team, it’s difficult. But I’ll have a job where I’m going, maybe I’ll do more than what I did (help the player at Chelsea) on the field, as a coach,” the former French midfielder concluded.
