Chelsea are set to clear the decks for Frank Lampard with Maurizio Sarri’s entire coaching staff set to be released or reshuffled.
Gianfranco Zola is expected to be among the casualties as he reaches the end of a one-year deal and Carlo Cudicini, who was invited onto the first-team staff when Antonio Conte arrived, three years ago, may return to his ambassadorial role at the club.
None of the Italian coaches appointed at Sarri’s behest last summer are likely to remain at Stamford Bridge, including his assistant coach Luca Gotti, first-team coach Marco Ianni, goalkeeper coach Massimo Nenci and scout Gianni Picchioni.
The future of fitness coaches Paolo Bertelli, Davide Losi and Davide Ranzato is also uncertain.
Sarri would like to take Bertelli with him to Juventus and wants to appoint Inter Milan’s technical collaborator Giovanni Martusciello as his assistant in Turin.
Others will make way to create space as Chelsea help Lampard assemble his own team. Derby are braced for an official approach for their manager and his inner circle of coaches, which is likely to be made within 48 hours. Lampard would like to take his assistant Jody Morris and fitness coach Chris Jones back to Stamford Bridge.
Derby’s head of analysis Steve Rands is another who could make the move with him from Pride Park. Joe Edwards will be considered for promotion from his role in charge of the U23 development squad to work with the first team. Edwards, who worked closely with Morris when they both coached in the Chelsea academy, has long since been identified as a rising star by the head of youth development Neil Bath.
He is considered one of the best coaches working at the club and viewed as someone who is destined to work with the first team sooner or later. Like Morris, he knows the talented young players such as Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Reece James who will be given the chance to seize a place in the first team squad as the club fights a FIFA transfer ban.
Henrique Hilario, another goalkeeper coach already at Chelsea and a former team-mate of Lampard, is expected to stay on the backroom staff in some capacity. Claude Makelele is set to return to the club for a role with the loan squad. Petr Cech will be appointed in an executive role with responsibilities for the first team.
