Former Nigeria international footballer, Michael Emenalo has quit as the technical director of English side Chelsea, stepping down from his post after 10 years with the Blues.
The 52-year-old, who played for Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup, joined Chelsea in 2007 under Avram Grant, for whom he played at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
He worked in both scouting and coaching departments at Chelsea before being promoted to technical director in 2011.
Emenalo, who played for Notts County in the 1990s and in the first MLS game, has been linked with a role at Monaco.
Allegedly, this news serves as a blow to Roman Abramovich who held the 52-year-old in high regard. Reportedly, Abramovich was reliant on Emenalo for advice – he was one of the few people that the owner trusted.
It is believed that Chelsea’s transfer proceedings in the summer window evoked conflict between Conte and Emenalo alongside director Marina Granovskaia.
The paper reports that Emenalo is supposedly keen not to participate in “a three-way power battle” between director Marina Granovskaia and Antonio Conte.
Having worked on the coaching staff previously, Emenalo became a technical director in 2011 where his main responsibilities were focused on coordinating Chelsea’s youth network in addition to player recruitment.
The Nigerian attained his UEFA Pro Licence this summer, and it remains unclear whether the Blues will look to appoint another technical director before the January window.
