Chelsea agreed deal with Brentford to make Bernardo Cueva their set-piece coach next season, despite Mauricio Pochettino dismissing the idea of a specialist

Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement with Brentford to make Bernardo Cueva their set-piece coach from next season.

According The AthleticThe 36-year-old will continue to work for the Bees until the end of the current campaign before heading west to London.

Mail Sport reported earlier this month that the Blues were looking to hire a specialist set-piece coach to replace Anthony Barry, who left the role in April to join former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich. .

Cueva joined Brentford from Mexican side Chivas in September 2020 after being recruited by the club’s director of football, Phil Giles, and technical director, Lee Dykes.

He began working as a tactical statistician and has played a crucial role in Brentford’s progress from the Championship to the established Premier League side.

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During their time at the club, the Bees have become renowned for their set-piece prowess.

Last season, 16 of Brentford’s 58 goals in a Premier League game came from set pieces (the second-best tally in the league after Liverpool’s 17) and half of them came from corners, a figure surpassed only by six teams.

By contrast, Chelsea’s set pieces in particular have been disappointing this season, with only relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sheffield United having scored fewer than their six Premier League goals.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have not scored a single goal from indirect free kicks and their tally of five goals from corners is eight fewer than that of Arsenal, whose free kick coach Nicolas Jover is widely credited with perfecting the routines They have contributed over 30 percent of their goals this season.

Following Barry’s departure last year, Chelsea were one of the few Premier League clubs without a set-piece coach.

But Pochettino appeared to question the value of specialist coaches at a press conference last month.

“We have specialists,” he said. “We are a technical team that takes care of everything.”