Roberto di Matteo named as new Chelsea assistant coach
- Published
Di Matteo spent six years at Chelsea
Former Chelsea player Roberto di Matteo has been named as manager Andre Villas-Boas's first-team assistant coach, external.
The Italian has been out of work since leaving West Brom in February, external.
Former midfielder Di Matteo, 41, spent six years at Stamford Bridge where he won two FA Cup titles, the League Cup and the Uefa Cup Winners' Cup.
"If you see the technical staff in front of me, and my appointment of Roberto, these are people who like the quality of the game," said Villas-Boas.
During the 1997 FA Cup final, Di Matteo scored what was then the quickest goal in a cup final at Wembley, a 30-yard strike after just 42 seconds, to help Chelsea on their way to a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.
The following year, the Italian scored again in the league cup final against Boro and made it a hat-trick of goals in a final when he found the net against Aston Villa in the 2000 FA Cup clash at the old Wembley.
During the 2000-2001 season, Di Matteo sustained a triple leg fracture against Swiss side St Gallen that sidelined him for 18 months. He eventually retired from playing in February 2002 at the age of 31.
He entered management in 2008, taking over from Paul Ince at Milton Keynes Dons. In his first season, the Italian led the side to third place in League One, although they missed out on promotion through the play-offs.
The former Lazio player then moved to West Brom in 2009, who he guided to second in the Championship and automatic promotion during his first season. He parted company with the Baggies last season following a poor run of form during the Christmas and New Year period.
Meanwhile, Steve Holland, who led last season's reserve side to the title, also becomes a first-team assistant coach with Christophe Lollichon continuing as goalkeeping coach.
Villas-Boas has also added Jose Mario Rocha, a 48-year-old fitness expert, to his backroom staff, having worked alongside him at previous clubs Porto and Academica.
Daniel Sousa has also been brought over from Portugal to take the up the role of head opposition scout, the role previously occupied by Villas-Boas in his first spell at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2007.