Ray Wilkins, has today confirmed that he will join Aston Villa’s coaching staff next season. Wilkins had been in constant communication with manager Tim Sherwood over the last two weeks. The former Chelsea coach told Sky Sports News:
“I was talking to Tim Sherwood – I have been for the last couple of weeks – about going on board and joining the coaching staff and assisting. Tim has just now confirmed that I will be going on board. I’m absolutely thrilled to be back involved. “There’s only one place to be – the Premier League is the place to go in, and I will be assisting Kevin McDonald, Tim and the whole shooting match. Over my coaching career, I’ve been involved with a lot of managers of an extremely high level, and I’ve learnt off each and every one of them. Hopefully, I can give the lads at Villa that type of experience.” Wilkins went on to state Villa should aim to finish in the top half of the table and avoid getting in a relegation battle like last season. After retiring from his playing career in 1997, Wilkins immediately went into coaching. The 58-year-old continued his association with Chelsea by becoming a coach alongside Gianluca Vialli at Stamford Bridge. He also had a spell as the England U21s assistant coach when Peter Taylor was in charge. Further on in his coaching career, he was appointed assistant coach at Chelsea again and worked alongside Luis Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and then Carlo Ancelotti where they won numerous trophies. This was followed by a short spell at Fulham as assistant coach and most recently, he was the manager of the Jordan national team.
Wilkins brings a wealth of experience to the Villa backroom staff which will benefit Sherwood.
