Chelsea have been forced into a climbdown, after re-hiring a physio that left last year following a plea from players to bring him back.
Jose Calvarro left in September after more than six years at Stamford Bridge as part of an overhaul of backroom staff by new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. The well-respected Spaniard had been working at Chelsea since 2016 and departed along with long-serving medical chiefs Thierry Laurent and Paco Biosca.
Calvarro joined Italian Serie B side Como, where former Chelsea captain Dennis Wise is president and ex-Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas a player.
Chelsea players were unhappy with his departure and some felt the upheaval in the medical department was partly to blame for an injury crisis that hit the squad before the World Cup.
They asked the club to bring Calvarro back, but he was already tied into a contract with Como and, in January, Chelsea were only able to agree a deal for him to return for one day a week as a consultant. Since then, he has flown to London to work with the team every Sunday.
As part of sweeping changes to the Chelsea medical department this season, physios Jason Palmer and Jon Fearn also left after the World Cup, after around a decade of service.
Private physiotherapy firm Remedy led major changes to the department in September. Chelsea have also brought in Fearghal Kerin from Leinster Rugby and Dave Fevre as a consultant, and further changes are expected.
The wide-scale staff changes are viewed as a factor in the Blues’ poor season. In October, then manager Graham Potter said: “Clearly, we want to always try to improve, and that’s an area we can probably improve.”
Frank Lampard said this month that he felt Chelsea players are not fit enough, after analysing running data.
