Chelsea will bid farewell to long-serving coach Henrique Hilario, who is set to join former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel in the revamped England staff starting in the New Year, according to reports.
Hilario has been with Chelsea for nearly 20 years, having joined the club as a backup goalkeeper under Jose Mourinho in 2006. He made 39 appearances over eight seasons, with a significant number coming during his debut campaign when both Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini were sidelined. The Portuguese goalkeeper stayed on as a player until his retirement in 2014, at the age of 38, before returning to Stamford Bridge as a coach in 2016.
Throughout his Chelsea tenure, Hilario worked under seven different managers, and now he will follow Tuchel into the England setup. Although Chelsea has not publicly commented on Hilario’s departure, it is understood to be official internally. Initially, Hilario considered juggling roles between Chelsea and England, but the club was not open to a job-sharing arrangement.
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Tuchel’s reshaped England staff, which is still being finalized, reflects his influence during his time at Chelsea. Anthony Barry will serve as assistant coach, bringing experience from his time with Bayern Munich, Portugal, Belgium, and the Republic of Ireland, after working with Tuchel in London. James Melbourne, a Chelsea staff member since 2005, will lead performance analysis.
Despite Hilario’s exit, Chelsea does not plan to hire a direct replacement. The club already has a strong goalkeeping coaching team, including Ben Roberts (head of global goalkeeping) and James Russell (first-team assistant and academy head). Additionally, Enzo Maresca has brought Michele de Bernadin and Willy Caballero from Leicester City this summer.