Chelsea agree deal to keep Ben Roberts under Pochettino as head of goalkeeping

Chelsea have agreed a deal to keep former manager Graham Potter's appointment, Ben Roberts, in an overseeing role in their goalkeeping department.

Mauricio Pochettino's reign has officially begun and he has been joined at Chelsea by his own team of coaches, including his goalkeeper specialist Toni Jimenez.

But Roberts will also remain and be part of the new era, though in a position with a far wider remit than the initial coaching job he took on when joining Chelsea from Brighton with Potter in September and one likely to see him spend less time on the training pitch.

Mail Sport revealed in May that Chelsea had held talks with Roberts with a view to retaining him and his expertise at the club, where he is well-liked and respected.

Those discussions have concluded successfully with the 48 year-old signing a long-term deal to stay on in a head of goalkeeping-type role.

Roberts is set to have a hand in shaping the coaching of goalkeepers of all ages up to first-team, their development plus scouting and recruitment.

And with Chelsea's owners buying French side Strasbourg last week and looking to add a Portuguese side to their stables, Roberts's responsibilities will not just be limited to Chelsea but expected to extend to covering all clubs in the group as it grows.

That raises the prospect of Chelsea buying young hopefuls and being able to develop them at one of their partner clubs until they are deemed ready for a move to the Premier League.

Having Roberts head things up should help better align the work done both within Chelsea and across their network with their goalkeepers while also improve pathways to first-team football for the club's stoppers due to having someone tasked with long-term planning.

Roberts is one of the most highly rated coaches in England in his field having followed a 17-year professional playing career with a move into coaching and being responsible for the development of a string of top flight and professional goalkeepers.

Bruno Saltor and Bjorn Hamberg also moved to Chelsea from Brighton and their coaching profiles remain on the club's website despite their lower profile since the latter's departure with their futures yet to be confirmed.