Benfica graduate might be the most important person at Chelsea you’ve never heard of

Is Filipe Coelho the most important person at Chelsea you’ve never heard of? Maybe not, because you might be a plugged in fan who knows who he is already. But for a lot of supporters, he will be right up there.

There would be no shame in not knowing who Coelho is – he only arrived this summer when he was appointed as the new Under-21s head coach as part of the continued restructuring of the club from top to bottom under the Boehly-Clearlake ownership. The changes in the academy were controversial in particular, so it was vital that Coelho came into the frame with a good start.

He’s had a mixed start, with his team in 16th in PL2 but ending the first phase of the season with a 4-0 win over Anderlecht in the Premier League International Cup and a 6-0 win over Fulham domestically, to perhaps signal a change in fortunes.

Chelsea found Mark Robinson’s replacement in Portugal, working with Estoril after 13 years in the Benfica system, and he’s now bringing that continental knowledge to Cobham. Why is he so important? Because he’s the man coaching the players who are being prepared to transition to the first team.

Coelho gives his thoughts

Results will have to improve, without doubt. But youth football is about more than just the league table. In fact, the better Coelho develops players, the more likely they are to be summoned into the senior squad, and the more his own team suffers. Being an age group coach is a funny old job in that way.

What matter is that the players are being well coached and prepared for first team action. The total redevelopment of the first team squad and the B team is now complete – the focus will now surely turn to the academy where the pathway to senior action needs to be strengthened.