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11th Jan 2017

Claude Makélélé makes a surprise Premier League return as he joins Swansea’s coaching staff

Wait, what?

Simon Lloyd

Ah, Claude Makélélé… the most defensive midfieldery defensive midfielder ever to have played the game of football.

The former French international, best known for making the lives of opposing attacking midfield players an absolute misery at Real Madrid and Chelsea, called time on his playing days 2011.

Since then, we haven’t heard too much about Monsieur Makélélé on this side of the English Channel… until today, that was.

Out of absolutely nowhere, Makélélé has been unveiled as part of Swansea City’s new look coaching staff. Now 43, he reunites with the club’s new head coach Paul Clement, who he worked with as a player at Chelsea and as a coach at Paris Saint-Germain.

Makélélé will make his first appearance in the Liberty Stadium’s home dugout when Swansea welcome Arsenal in Saturday’s Premier League fixture.