Swansea City assistant coach Claude Makelele has signed a new contract at the club, after having joined the club on a short-term deal in January.

Makelele was brought in by manager Paul Clement, and has made a huge difference according to those at the club.

The length of the contract is unknown, but it does confirm that he will remain part of Clement’s backroom staff including Nigel Gibbs, goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts and head of physical performance Karl Halabi.

The quotes

As the news broke, Clement said: “We are very happy that he is going to be staying on because he is very popular.”

Makelele was a player at Chelsea when Clement was part of the backroom staff, while the pair have both worked together as coaches at Paris Saint-Germain together under Carlo Ancelotti.

“He is a quiet, humble man considering what he did as a player,” Clement said, “he has great experience and he has passed that on to the players.”

Makelele's career

Makelele started his career at Nantes, where he won the French championship in 1995 and helped the club reach the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League the following season.

He then had stints at Marseille and Celta Vigo before earning a move to Real Madrid. He won two La Liga championships and a Champions League trophy where he cemented himself as the best holding midfielder in the world.

Makelele then moved to Chelsea where he won two Premier League titles and a FA Cup trophy. He proved himself to be one of the best holding midfielders in history, and even had the role nicknamed ‘the Makelele role’ by fans and pundits.

After three years back at PSG, Makelele became assistant to Ancelotti alongside Clement before leaving to become head coach of Bastia. He was sacked after six months in charge and then joined Clement in Swansea.

Makelele has been a positive influence since joining Swansea, club captain Leon Britton has previously said: “Claude was the best defensive midfielder in the world and so it is fantastic to have him here, and to be able to lean on him for advice and the understanding of what he did.”

Britton continued to pour the praise on the Chelsea and Real Madrid legend, who also made 71 caps for France.

“He is a great tool for us and we have to make sure we make the most of what he can bring.” Britton continued, “he has had an unbelievable career and we are delighted he is here.”

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About the author
Jack Mceachen
Sports Journalist in Staffordshire University.