Chelsea legend opens up on bombshell sacking

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 8 Oct 2024 09:57 BST
4 min read

Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has opened up on his sacking in Greece.

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He left Asteras Tripolis after less than a month in charge even though the team were sixth in the Greek Super League.

In an exclusive interview with LondonWorld, Makelele spoke about his departure there and his plans for the future.

The 51-year-old said: "They promised me full control of the team. It was my decision who played or didn’t play. Transfers were not my responsibility.

"If you want to sack me because the results are not good, that’s fine. This is football. But I don’t want people telling me who should or shouldn’t play."

"In the last game, they insisted a key player [Darnell Eric Bile] should be benched. The player has a small amateur salary, but he’s the best player in the team.

"I brought him on for just 20 minutes – he got two assists, and we won the game. But they didn’t want him [to play]. They thought they could control whether he plays because he hadn’t signed a [new] contract [with the club]. I used him because of his quality."

He continued: "They were used to long balls, second balls, but I made them understand that whether you win, lose, or draw, you need to learn to play football," he said.

"I’m a manager who looks forward. When I take responsibility for the players, I know what I can and cannot do," he explained. "I love the job, but I can’t accept when people interfere and tell me what I can or cannot do."

"They know the name, but they don’t know the human being," he said. "You cannot lie with your principles. I built my career on honesty with players and the club. Always honest.”

“Football is about human beings, about connection, understanding movement, tactical awareness, technical skill – individually and collectively. We use data, sure, but football is more than that."

Throughout his coaching career, Makelele has brought through young players. The likes of Billy Gilmour, Conor Gallagher, and Trevoh Chalobah at Chelsea were developed under him.

"In the beginning, Chelsea didn’t believe in them. I made sure they progressed. Now look where they are. They send me messages sometimes – ‘Thank you, coach, you opened my eyes’. That means more than winning a trophy," he said.

The future

"You have children dreaming of playing this sport. You can’t buy that. It’s not possible."

"I’ll see what’s coming next. I want to make players progress," he said. "I’m happy when I see managers like Arteta, Guardiola, and Klopp – they make mistakes, but they understand how to help players grow into big players. Every big player needs their teammates to win games and progress." .

"I’ve been learning from great managers – they’ve taught me what winning and losing together really means. I’m ready for what comes next."