Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel says he and the club are sad that coach Joe Edwards has left the Blues to join Frank Lampard at Everton, but understood his decision to grasp a "big opportunity".
Former midfielder and head coach Lampard was recently appointed as the new manager of the Toffees, just over a year after he was dismissed at Stamford Bridge.
It represents a new challenge in the Premier League for the 43-year-old, who has taken Edwards with him as well as former Blues assistant manager Paul Clement.
Clement was the assistant for Chelsea under Carlo Ancelotti, whom he worked under at a number of big clubs, as well as dabbling in management himself in both the Premier League and Championship.
Edwards leaving the club after 27-years may be a big blow to the side, having played a massive role in the development of Chelsea’s youngsters in the academy.
He then took the step up to an assistant under Lampard in 2019, though when Tuchel came in he moved to a different role in the backroom team.
Speaking on the loss of Edwards, Tuchel said on the official Chelsea website : "Unfortunately he left us, it was a huge chance, a big opportunity for him.
"We are sad that he left but at the same time, for his kind of quality and personality, we couldn't offer what he was offered at Everton in terms of responsibility, being on the sideline, doing in-game coaching, doing in-game decisions about substitutions, formations, whatever…
"I think it was a very tough decision, also for Joe, it was not an ideal timing, but timing is rarely ideal in football and in open spaces in coaching."
Chelsea also confirmed that the coach will not be replaced at this current time, wishing him luck in his venture in Merseyside.
