Thomas Tuchel strikes Chelsea blow as resignation emerges with announcement due

Henrique Hilario has handed in his resignation at Chelsea to become Thomas Tuchel's goalkeeping coach with England.

The former Blues shot-stopper retired from professional football in 2014 following a 20-year career before returning to Stamford Bridge two years later as assistant goalkeeping coach under Antonio Conte. He was promoted to the position of goalkeeping coach by Maurizio Sarri ahead of the 2018/19 season.

Hilario has worked in that role for the last six years and spent 18 months of those with Tuchel during his time in West London. But now, Hilario is set to leave Chelsea and join up with Tuchel, who will start work as the new England head coach on January 1 on an 18-month contract, football.london understands.

The 49-year-old decided to leave the Blues and work with Tuchel after the club made it clear that they did not want him to job-share with England. Chelsea have not commented on Hilario's departure, first reported by The Telegraph, but it's claimed that his resignation has been made official, although it's unknown whether that's an immediate exit.

Tuchel was appointed as the next England head coach last month following Gareth Southgate's departure in the summer. Lee Carsley took over on a caretaker basis for the autumn Nations League fixtures, but Tuchel has now been tasked with the responsibility ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Speaking in his first press conference as England boss, Tuchel said: "I had the chance to read a quote from Pele in the Wembley building, which said, 'Wembley is the heart, the capital and the cathedral of football'. I think he was absolutely right. I want to take the opportunity to thank the FA, especially Mark [Bullingham] and John [McDermott] for their trust. I’m very excited to start this journey in January with the staff at St. George’s Park and of course a special group of players to make our dream come true in America."

Hilario's Chelsea career as a player started in 2006 when he moved from Porto and reunited with former boss Jose Mourinho. He signed as third-choice behind Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini, but was handed a run in the team after they both sustained injuries against Reading. Hilario's run in the side saw him make a total of 18 appearances during the season, keeping eight clean sheets in the process.

He would end up spending eight years at Chelsea, playing just 39 times across that period before confirming his retirement from professional football in August 2014.

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