Ashley Cole joins former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard in Everton coaching staff

Former defender Ashley Cole has joined the Everton coaching staff, which is being headed by his former Chelsea and England teammate Frank Lampard.

The former England defender will become a first-team coach, joining from Chelsea’s academy to work alongside assistant managers Joe Edwards and Duncan Ferguson under Lampard, who was appointed as manager on Monday.

“I was thrilled when Frank asked me to join him at Everton,” Cole said. “This is a brilliant opportunity with a fantastic club and I am coming here to work hard and try to help bring success to Everton.”

“The chance to link up again with Frank was another huge draw. He is an excellent manager and leader. With the rest of the staff here, we have everything in place for what we want to achieve together.”

Cole played alongside Lampard at Chelsea, where together they won one Premier League title, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League.

“Everyone knows about his superb playing career and what he has achieved in the game,” Lampard added.

“He is now a well-respected coach which has been recognised by his work with England Under-21s. He’ll bring a wealth of enthusiasm, game-play experience and is a very good young coach who adds strength to our coaching staff.”

Everton begin life under Lampard on Saturday against Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round, before travelling to Newcastle on Tuesday in the Premier League.