Ed Brand is plotting his next move after 17 years at Chelsea came to an end earlier this year, with ambitions set firmly on becoming a head coach.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Brand admitted the departure initially left him lost. "When it first happened, I did not know what to do with myself," he said, reflecting on a near two-decade stint at Stamford Bridge that shaped his coaching philosophy.
Despite the upheaval of leaving the only senior football environment he'd known, Brand's long-term goal remains unchanged. "I want to be a head coach," he told Sky Sports, signalling his intent to step into the top job rather than continue in a supporting coaching role.
The Sky Sports interview doesn't detail Brand's next destination, but it paints a picture of a coach using his time away from Chelsea to reflect on the lessons learned there and prepare himself for the demands of leading his own team. For now, his focus is on the lessons absorbed at one of English football's biggest clubs — and how they'll inform the next chapter of his career.