Harley leaves Chelsea after a decade to become Portsmouth assistant
Harley played 42 games for Chelsea before joining their Academy as a coach in 2013
Written by Training Ground Guru — February 16, 2023
CHELSEA Under-21s assistant Jon Harley has left the club after a decade to become assistant at Portsmouth.
The 43-year-old made 42 appearances for the Blues between 1998 and 2001 and was part of their team that won the 2000 FA Cup. He had a year at Portsmouth in 2012/13 and now re-joins the club to assist their new manager, John Mousinho. The duo know each other after doing their Pro Licence together, graduating last year.
Harley joined Chelsea’s Academy as a coach in January 2013 and assisted Andy Myers with the U18s and then the U23s, winning the Premier League 2 title in 2019/20.
In a statement, Chelsea said: “We wish Jon well on the South Coast and thank him greatly for his sterling service over the years.”
Portsmouth Sporting Director Richard Hughes said: “We spoke to quite a few people and both John and I were really impressed with Jon. His face would light up whenever he talked about Pompey and you can tell he has an affinity for this football club.
"He’s spent 10 years with Chelsea and worked with some of the best talents in the country – he’s going to add value. We feel that he can provide excellent support for John and so we’re delighted to have him here. He’ll be a great asset for the club.”
Mousinho added: “Jon had a fantastic playing career and competed at the top, while he’s had 10 years working with Chelsea at the highest level of development football.
“He was the outstanding candidate during the recruitment process and knowing him from my time on the Pro Licence, he’s a great guy who’s going to fit in with what we’re trying to do here.
“Jon is an excellent coach and Chelsea have a great track record of bringing through players to feature in their first team or have good careers elsewhere – he’s had a big role in that.
“That was a big part in coming here because we also want to bring young players in here and help to develop them. We wanted to make sure that we got the right person and it takes time to go through the list, but we were thorough and robust because this a crucial appointment.”
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