Skip to main content

Chelsea to Consider Not Replacing Departed Director After Michael Emenalo's Shock Resignation

  • Author:
  • Publish date:

Reports are surfacing that Chelsea are considering to not directly replace recently departed Michael Emenalo. The club are believed to be thinking about delegating the former technical director's roles to employees already at the club rather than hiring a direct successor.

Emenalo announced his decision to leave the club on Monday, having spent the last decade with the Blues (his most recent six years in the role of technical director). For the time being, director Marina Granovskaia is to pick up Emenalo's job while Chelsea mull over their next step.

5a02d5092ee40fa430000001.jpg

According to the Evening Standard, there are various routes that Chelsea could decide to take. One possible option is that the club decide to not hire anyone to replace their man with Granovskaia needing to decide if she can handle the workload. 

In doing this, Granovskaia will become even more powerful within the club in which she has been credited for reducing the amount spent on players in recent years. However, it could also increase the tension she already has with manager Antonio Conte.

Friction was created between the two during the summer over Chelsea's transfer business. Conte requested that the club sign Romelu Lukaku, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alex Sandro - none of whom ever arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Furthermore, Emenalo's departure may spell a different future for Everton playmaker Ross Barkley. The recently resigned director was believed to be the main driving force behind Chelsea's attempts to sign Barkley, but that idea may now be scrapped completely, with the player deciding against joining the Blues at the end of the summer window.