Former Super Eagles player and former Chelsea technical director has been named the Saudi Pro League’s director of football.
Former Super Eagles left-back Michael Emenalo has been named the Saudi Pro League’s first-ever director of football.
The former Enugu Rangers full-back, who gained experience with Chelsea as an assistant manager and later as the London club’s technical director, also worked with AS Monaco in France as a sporting director, and according to The Athletic, the 57-year-old will be in charge of managing football in Saudi Arabia, concentrating primarily on growing the league and the teams.
By bringing Emenalo on board, the Saudi Arabian league, which has welcomed an influx of European Superstars like Ngolo Kante, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Neves, and Kalidou Koulibaly, has made their intent to develop clear. During his time at Chelsea and Monaco, both clubs experienced success on all fronts amid changes in the internal revenue of the clubs and the calibre of players recruited.
The former technical director of Chelsea completely overhauled the club’s academy, scouting, loan, and women’s teams’ setups. He also played a crucial role in the club’s success by supervising the scouting and transfers of important players like Juan Mata, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, and Cesc Fabregas, who all went on to become household names with the Blues and win numerous trophies with the team.
Emenalo’s hiring will be crucial to the Saudi League’s growth over the next ten years. He is anticipated to bring his team along to use their knowledge, contacts, and prior experiences fully.
