After two wins in nine Premier League games, few will dispute that Chelsea look like they could do with fresh inspiration from someone new right now. The surprise is they have turned to a figurehead from rugby league for it.
The news that Chelsea have recruited Willie Isa from Wigan Warriors to act in a player-support role caused a bit of a stir last week and was certainly not met with much enthusiasm from the fanbase.
Isa has had a superb career in rugby league, starting out at two Australian clubs — Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm. He really made his name after moving to England in 2011 at Castleford Tigers, Widnes Vikings and especially Wigan, where he won 10 major honours in eight years, including two club world championships.
One of the people who know him best is Wigan head coach Matt Peet, who led the club to a remarkable four major trophies last season, with Isa one of the key men in the dressing room. He has no doubts Isa will make a big difference at Chelsea behind the scenes.
Peet tells The Athletic: “I don’t expect the supporters to ever physically see the impact he has at Chelsea. But he is a cultural architect. He will make the environment better and all the individuals around the environment better. Ignore the different shape of the ball that he is associated with, Willie’s skill set is all about high-performing teams, leadership and dealing with people.
“Everyone at Wigan and in rugby league understands why Chelsea have made this move. It’s intelligent.”
Chelsea fans might take a bit of time to come around to Peet’s way of thinking.
There appears to be a general cynicism about the number of jobs and positions created since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over the club in 2022. Recent results on the pitch do not help the mood — Chelsea are struggling to avoid going a third season without qualifying for the Champions League.
But turning to someone from an actual different ball game has led many supporters to ask one question: “Why?”.
Much has been made of the amount Chelsea have spent on the squad via the transfer market since the takeover, with more than £1billion ($1.3bn) committed to new signings. But the club have invested in several of its departments, including performance and medical. This is where Isa comes in.
Bryce Kavanagh, the director of performance, was hired in October 2023 after seven years at the Football Association, the English game’s governing body. He has overseen the growth of a 24/7 player support division, surrounding medical, fitness and conditioning.
Kavanagh worked in rugby (Munster and Melbourne Rebels, both of the union code) as well as netball (Australia’s NSW Swifts) before being employed by the FA. Beginning outside of football has not been a hindrance to him and the expertise he can bring. Sources at Chelsea, who like many of those spoken to for this article have been kept anonymous to protect relationships, feel the same applies to Isa. Besides, this area of the club does not involve the tactics deployed on the pitch.
Isa, with the ball, playing for Wigan (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Kavanagh, head coach Enzo Maresca and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart all played a role in the hiring of Isa. In Maresca’s case, he talked to the 36-year-old New Zealand-born Samoa international before he was given the post.
A Chelsea source said the club’s thinking is to give every resource possible to help each player, on and off the pitch.
Isa’s experience of playing at the highest levels of rugby league, knowing what it takes to win and maintaining his physical condition during a gruelling season, is just part of the reason he was hired. He can advise on how to maintain a healthy mind as well as body. He is seen as someone who can be there for somebody if they are going through a slump and not having a good time of it, providing words of advice.
It helps that Isa has such a strong background in professional sport and is a proven winner. Yet it quickly became apparent he has an ability to connect with people and communicate with players, too.
That may well be put to the test at Chelsea, where the majority of players are on far bigger salaries than their rugby league counterparts and have far greater value in their sport’s transfer market. Sky Sports reported that Wigan Warriors’ total wage bill for last season was £3.1million whereas Chelsea’s was £404m in the most recent reported annual accounts, for the year ending June 30, 2023.
Might the barrier of talking to millionaires and the potential egos involved be a problem? Peet gives the notion short shrift, saying: “Willie won’t be intimidated by anything.”
This should not be confused as some kind of part-time mentoring role, like someone coming in to give a speech once in a while and then clearing off. Isa, who has already started working at the club, will be based at the Cobham training ground full-time and be part of the staff working with Maresca. Last week, he was in the building, getting to know the personnel.
One of the most extraordinary aspects of this development is how quickly it has all happened.
Isa agreed a new two-year contract last October to continue playing at Wigan and was involved in pre-season training for their 2025 campaign when Chelsea made their first approach last month. This interest was kept secret but, in late January, he announced his retirement as a player, saying: “I have been offered an opportunity to pursue.”
Peet did not see Isa’s departure coming this soon but was not that shocked either. “We played a pre-season game a few weeks ago at Oldham and Willie didn’t play in it,” Peet said. “He requested a meeting and straight away I had an inkling that he wasn’t playing for one reason or another. When he told us what his reasoning was, the club were very supportive.
“When you have achieved as much as he has and you have so much respect for him, like I do, you cannot stand in his way. With Willie, when you know he has set his mind on something, we all want him to fulfil it with 100 per cent commitment and support.
“I knew this kind of job was something he was considering going into when he stopped playing. I am not particularly surprised at the nature of the role he has taken at Chelsea. The timing came a little bit out of the blue but it is an area that Willie is passionate about, looking after players and helping them achieve their goals. Improving the organisation, too. I think it is a perfect fit.
Isa was going to play for Wigan this year but a move to Chelsea’s staff came together quickly (George Wood/Getty Images)
“I had had discussions with him in the past about what life after rugby league looked like for him and he was talking along these kind of lines.
“You have to remember that since I have been coach (he was hired by Wigan in 2022), Willie has been in the leadership group with me. He already had one foot in that camp where he dealt with coaches and served as a link between… not just the coaches and the players but also the senior leadership of the club as well, the board and the CEO. He is well prepared for this role, I have no doubts.”
One of the biggest changes the Boehly-Clearlake consortium has brought about since summer 2022 is reducing the average age of the squad. Chelsea have consistently fielded the youngest XI in the Premier League this season under new coach Maresca, who is only his second campaign in charge at first-team level himself, but that has led to questions over who the team’s leaders are and whether the camp is missing someone with a more senior voice.
Perhaps Isa can help fill this void — although not during the games themselves. Peet thought he already knew everything there was to know about Isa’s leadership qualities until he heard even more tales during a group exercise he called last year.
“We had a team meeting around the culture of the group and I asked the lads to name a time when someone had helped them but no one else knew about it,” Peet said. “Around half of the stories were about Willie. Bear in mind we are talking 25 to 30 players in the room here.
“It was things like getting to stay at his house, lending them stuff, going around supporting them, checking in on them in times of trouble or when they’re having a bit of a down time. He would catch up with the lads for a coffee away from the building. Just lots of little actions. I have plenty of other examples I could give you of what he is like but this alone sums him up for me.
“Chelsea are getting a consummate professional. He is a fierce competitor. He was super-aggressive on the field. Off it, he is an absolute gentleman, caring, and very aware of his responsibilities to his team and also to the sport he represented. I am sure he will be a great ambassador for Chelsea. He will drive standards, a high-performance culture and he will do it from a position of looking after people.”
Just going off what Peet has to say about the guy, Isa’s characteristics sound like exactly what Chelsea need.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
