Thomas Tuchel’s backroom staff has been strengthened with the addition of Henrique Hilário, who is ending his 18-year association with Chelsea to become England’s new goalkeeping coach. Tuchel, who previously worked with the former Portugal goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge, will officially begin his new role on 1 January. Hilário replaces Martyn Margetson, who departed following Gareth Southgate’s resignation as England manager last summer.

Hilário was swiftly identified by Tuchel, who prefers to maintain a streamlined backroom team, and negotiations progressed quickly. Chelsea were unwilling to permit Hilário to split his duties between the club and the national team, prompting him to tender his resignation.

The 49-year-old joined Chelsea as a player in 2006, making 39 appearances for the club before transitioning to a coaching role upon retirement. A popular figure among players, Hilário also earned one cap for Portugal during his career.

Tuchel has previously looked to his former club for staff, having already recruited James Melbourne, Chelsea’s former head of performance analysis.

In other developments, Anthony Barry is leaving Portugal to serve as Tuchel’s assistant manager, while Ashley Cole will return to England’s under-21 setup to assist Lee Carsley. Carsley has also confirmed that Joleon Lescott will no longer be part of his coaching team.

Chelsea are unlikely to seek a direct replacement for Hilário. The club’s existing staff includes Michele De Bernardin as goalkeeping coach, assisted by Willy Caballero, a former Chelsea goalkeeper. Enzo Maresca oversees the goalkeeping team, while Ben Roberts serves as head of global goalkeeping and James Russell holds the position of first-team assistant goalkeeping coach and head of academy goalkeeping.