Italian second-tier side Cesena are confident of appointing former Chelsea defender Ashley Cole as their new head coach.
Cole, 45, has been involved in assistant managerial roles with Chelsea, Everton, Birmingham City and England since his playing retirement in 2019.
In September 2024, he left Birmingham and became a full-time coach with the Football Association, assisting Lee Carsley during his temporary spell in charge of the men’s national team.
Taking charge of the Serie B side would be his first time in a senior head coaching role.
Cesena, located on the east of Italy, were promoted from Serie C after the 2023-24 season and are eighth in the second tier after 30 games this term. The Italian club are without a head coach, having sacked Michele Mignani on Saturday.
Cole made 384 Premier League appearances in his playing career, as a left-back for Arsenal and then Chelsea. He won two league titles with the north London side before moving to Chelsea, adding a Champions League and another Premier League to his honours.
The left-back also made 107 England caps during his career, the second-most as a defender behind Bobby Moore with 108.
Who are Cesena?
Analysis by Italian football correspondent James Horncastle
Cesena are a club with a proud history.
It’s a place where legendary coaches like Arrigo Sacchi, Osvaldo Bagnoli and Marcello Lippi have worked in the past. The Dino Manuzzi has also been regularly used to host games for Italy’s Under-21s and the women’s national team.
Last in the top flight 11 years ago, Cesena’s American owners John Aiello and Anthony Scotto have set their sights on promotion this season.
The decision to sack Michele Mignani after Saturday’s 2-2 draw, leaving them eighth in Serie B, with high-flying Frosinone is another sign of their ambition.
Ashley Cole would get to work with Jurgen Klinsmann’s son Jonathan who plays in goal, former Italy international Gaetano Castrovili as well as experienced forward Alberto Cerri and his highly rated strike partner Cristian Shpendi.
Cole the coach
Analysis by football news reporter Tom Burrows
Cesena would be Ashley Cole’s first coaching position as a number one — after holding roles at Chelsea’s academy, England’s Under-21s, Everton, Chelsea and Birmingham City.
That shows how Cole has plotted a gradual and careful route to reach this point. As Paul Clement told The Athletic in a previous interview: “I think he’s done it the right way; he’s not rushed it, he’s taken the right steps.”
Cole first developed an interest in coaching in the twilight of his playing career with LA Galaxy in the U.S., where he took a keen interest in video analysis sessions.
Following a short spell at Derby County playing under former teammate Frank Lampard, Cole’s first foray into coaching was back at former club Chelsea, working in their academy, with their under-15s and under-16s.
At the same time, he was hired to work under England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley. Cole was part of the coaching team that won the European Championship in 2023 and 2025.
Cole’s first senior coaching role was at Everton under Lampard, where he worked alongside Clement, who is now assistant coach with Brazil.
“One of the things I really saw Ashley develop over his time at Everton was his communication skills. He got a lot more confident,” Clement told The Athletic in that previous article.
At Everton, Cole would often watch matches from a higher vantage point and feedback his analysis. He also worked on set plays, both defensive and attacking. He also helped assist Carsley during his short stint as interim manager of the England senior side in August 2024.
Cole briefly returned to Chelsea to work again under Lampard during his brief, and unhappy, spell as interim manager.
Cole’s next role in club football saw him link up with another decorated ex teammate – Wayne Rooney – at Birmingham City. Cole outlasted Rooney, who was sacked after just 83 days in charge, and worked under Tony Mowbray, Gary Rowett and Chris Davies. He left in September 2024, joining the Football Association on a full-time basis.
In terms of playing style, Cole wants his teams to dominate possession. Despite his illustrious playing career as a defender, he has said he prefers working on attacking play, rather than defending.
“A lot of fans will say you can’t play attacking football,” he said in 2023. “But me being a defender, I hate defending. I don’t want to work on defensive work. I want to do the attacking play. Cars (Carsley) really gave me the license to come up with certain game plans and style of play.”
For Cole, this could be his biggest challenge to date.
But it’s one he’ll relish and feel ready for.
