Brought in to help Paul Clement at Swansea, Claude Makelele spent just under nine months at Liberty Stadium before taking over at KAS Eupen in Belgium to replace Jordi Condom.
Announced on Monday, the former Chelsea midfielder took charge of his first training session on Tuesday before being presented to the press just after.
Having already had a taste of what being a manager is like at Bastia in Ligue 1, it seemed the Swansea job was always just him lending a helping hand to Paul Clement until the right job came along.
Speaking to the media, the now ex-Swansea coach explained his reasons for leaving the Premier League and heading over to the Jupiler Pro League where his task will be to keep KAS Eupen up, with Henry Onyekuru’s former side currently 15th out of 16.
He said, relayed by DH: “I was seduced by the project, with the presence of young talents. It was interesting. I’m going to put all my energy in the first goal: staying in D1A. I want to thank Swansea and Paul Clement for letting me go. They are fantastic and I wish them the best.”
Sat next to him was the club’s director of football, Josep Colomer, who explained the club’s reasons for choosing Claude Makelele over the many other available managers.
He said: “We decided the team needed a new challenge. We were happy with Jordi, but the leadership needed to change. Eupen are conceding a lot. We need a new balance and Claude Makelele is the ideal person to give us that.”
It’s going to be a tough ask, as Eupen [39] have conceded 13 goals more than Zulte Waregem [26], who have the second worst defensive record in the league.
However, if anyone knows about defensive balance, it’s the man who got a defensive midfield role on the pitch named after him.
