Joe Edwards set for Everton success after how his Chelsea experience changed
Joe Edwards has been backed to translate his experience of upheaval at Chelsea into Everton success, a source at his previous side has told The Athletic.
The 35-year-old has joined his former Stamford Bridge colleague Frank Lampard’s staff as assistant manager at Goodison, a relationship that is based on strong “professional chemistry”.
He had previously stayed on in West London when Thomas Tuchel replaced the now-Toffees boss to provide continuity, but had to battle to remain in the fray to the same extent after the change.
This situation, and the way he worked his way through it, is seen to put him in a good position to make the most of his new role on Merseyside.
Greg O’Keeffe writes in The Athletic about how an uncertain time following the German’s arrival saw Edwards’ role become “less defined” and he lost his place on the bench during match days.
He reportedly remained “hugely popular” however, worked his way into greater involvement again and began to feature on the bench more frequently before the Everton opportunity arose.
A source at the European champions is quoted in the article as saying: “Edwards will relish the chance to exert some real authority and have a fresh start.
“He’s been a survivor at Stamford Bridge, where new managers and their new teams are pretty regular, so he’s far from naive.
“Everton aren’t so different these days so the experience will stand him in good stead.”
Baptism of fire
In some ways the ownership model at Goodison has not been too different from the one at Stamford Bridge over recent years.
Millions spent on transfers and managers have come and gone as soon as they appear to not be providing the right answers.
The big difference for the fans of course is that through the upheaval in London there has been a steady stream of trophies, whereas the Toffees faithful have had to go without.
Surely everyone involved will be hoping that the experience of managerial turnover is something that he won’t have to apply to his new job.
It also seems far less likely that in the event of Lampard being sacked again Edwards would necessarily stay on afterwards, as he had at the club where he was once a youth player.
But the elevation from an undefined role from the previous regime that operated outside the manager’s inner-circle, to a key role as the boss’ right hand man should motivate him.
There have been various positive reports coming out of Finch Farm about the make-up of the backroom staff, which is certainly nice, but supporters are understandably edgy about how long it will need to take effect regularly on the pitch.
In other Everton news, a former captain has told Goodison News about how the club’s “awful” form needs to change.