Michael Emenalo has resigned from his position as Chelsea’s technical director.
The former Nigeria international joined the Blues in 2007, but has now called time on his association with the club as speculation continues to rage over the future of manager Antonio Conte.
Reports prior to Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday claimed that Carlo Ancelotti was being lined up to replace the Italian, and Emenalo’s departure is only likely to further highlight the tense atmosphere behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.
Emenalo was heavily involved with the club’s scouting department, and a largely barren summer saw the club miss out on a number of Conte’s first-choice signings.
Deals for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who moved from Arsenal to Liverpool, and Ross Barkley of Everton also fell through, and Chelsea now lie nine points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City after just 11 games.
Owner Roman Abramovich paid a visit to the club’s training ground last week – a move that heightened speculation surrounding the future of Conte – but Emenalo continued to operate in his role as technical director for the duration of the week, until Monday morning.
He was in Rome to watch Chelsea lose 3-0 to Roma in the Champions League last week, and was also spotted embracing defender Andreas Christensen at Stamford Bridge after the club’s win over Jose Mourinho’s United.
During Emenalo’s time at the club, Chelsea have won the Champions League, three Premier League titles, the Europa League, the FA Cup and the League Cup.
The Italian was keen to secure Romelu Lukaku from Everton before the striker eventually joined Manchester United, while the club was also unable to complete a deal for Juventus’ Alex Sandro.
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