Anelka joins Roda JC as consultant

Former Real Madrid and Arsenal striker Nicolas Anelka has joined Roda JC as a consultant.

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The ex-France international has been without a club since he left Mumbai City in 2015.

An eventful career saw the attacker ply his trade at Paris Saint-Germain before going on to play in England, Spain, Turkey, China, Italy and India.

Now the 37-year-old will turn up in Kerkrade to help the Eredivisie side grow under new investor Aleksei Korotaev.

The Swiss investor is the club's co-owner, promising to invest in the first-team and youth academy.

One of his first moves has been to bring Anelka into the club to focus on the youth system, while he will also assist and advise when it comes to signing players from France. 

Roda have already brought Lyes Houri in on loan from Bastia under Anelka's advice.

Ton Caanen, Roda's technical director, says he is optimistic about the partnership, insisting Anelka is a good fit for the role.

"When I was I met Nicolas in Dubai and had conversations with him about football, I immediately had the idea that I was not just dealing with a former football player, but also someone who has a very interesting idea about football in general," he told the club's website. 

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"We are proud that we can add someone of his caliber to our organisation. We will now discuss with Aleksei Korotaev how we are going to give precise details on his role."

A stable Eredivisie club as recently as five years ago, Roda have slipped down the ranks over the last few years and were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 2013-14, only to be promoted back up the following season.

After finishing 14th last term, Roda currently sit second bottom of the Dutch top flight, though they beat Excelsior 4-0 on Saturday.