Makelele: I am going home as an opponent not an enemy

Chelsea fans favourite and legend Claude Makelele who now works as an assistant manager at Swansea FC has said he will be going home as an opponent not an enemy.

Claude Makelel who had a successful spell as a Chelsea player, winning two Premier League titles along with two FA Cups and a League Cup, and making 213 appearances in five years is eagerly anticipating a return to face his former club with his current side on Saturday.

“Chelsea gave me a lot in my career. Now I go there not as an enemy, but as an opponent who works for a different club. The fans of Chelsea understand I am on a different side now,” Makelele told the Welsh club’s website.

“I can’t and won’t forget my time there. I see two clubs – Real Madrid and Chelsea – as my home. I am happy to go “home” on Saturday.

“My focus now is with Swansea, and hopefully we will get a good result there.”

Swansea have won four of their last six league games, a run of form which has propelled the club from the depths of the Premier League up to 15th, four points ahead of the bottom three with 13 games remaining.

However they face a stern test against the Premier League leaders, eight points clear at the top.

Makelele said: “It will be a difficult game. To win at that stadium is very difficult, it’s one of the most difficult places to win in the Premier League.

“Forget about the table: that’s the first thing Paul Clement will tell them.”