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What’s the story?
Chelsea are on the hunt for a technical director after Michael Emnalo quit last week. The Nigerian called it quits after a 10-year stint at the club.
As per reports in The Sun, Gianfranco Zola is the front runner now to replace Emenalo at the club. The Italian has been in talks with the club and is reportedly set to be appointed soon.
In case you didn’t know...
Zola played for Chelsea from 1996 to 2003. The Italian then moved back to his home country to play for Cagliari before hanging up his boots in 2005.
He is regarded as a club legend at Chelsea for his contribution. He brought the 'skills' to the club and such things have been replicated by just two players at the ever since – Joe Cole and Eden Hazard.
He then tried his hand at management but never managed to stay in the job for more than 2 years. To be precise, he only lasted at West Ham United for more than a year. Every other time he was handed the duty of managing, he was sacked within a year!
The heart of the matter
Emenalo, who is hated by the Chelsea fans, did a lot of good for the club despite his bad reputation. The Nigerian first joined the club as Avram Grant's chief scout but was promoted to the assistant first-team coach after Ray Wilkins departed.
Apart from Zola, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have also been linked with the job. The former Chelsea midfielder has opened the doors for the comeback by saying, “I worked with Michael for seven or eight years and his role at the club coincided with the most successful period in Chelsea’s history so I think he deserves a lot of credit from that. Everyone at Chelsea wishes him well as he moves on. I’m a Chelsea person, I’d love to be involved with the club long-term in some way. We’ll see.”
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Author’s Take
Zola knows what needs to be done and has the capability of doing it. However, Frank Lampard would be a better option right now as the Englishman will have more influence on the club as he knows it inside-out.
