Round one to Antonio Conte in Chelsea power struggle

Antonio Conte has drawn first blood in the reported power struggle taking place at Chelsea, with the resignation of technical director Michael Emenalo.

According to the The Daily Telegraph, Emenalo’s decision to step down will be “viewed in some quarters as a victory for Conte”, since his departure will deprive Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich of one of “the few people he trusts and takes advice from”.

Emenalo - who played professionally in Belgium, Germany and England and won 14 caps for Nigeria in the 1990s - joined Chelsea in 2007, when Avram Grant was manager. He subsequently worked as a scout and an assistant first-team coach before being promoted to technical director in 2011. His remit included player transfers, and among those he helped bring to Stamford Bridge are Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.

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However, the club’s fortunes took a downward turn last summer with the unseemly - and very public - transfer saga surrounding striker Diego Costa, and the failure to land Alex Sandro, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Romelu Lukaku, who chose to sign for arch rivals Manchester United. The Telegraph says that “caused tension between Conte, Emenalo and director Marina Granovskaia”.

The Guardian claims that Emenalo was “uncomfortable to be involved in a three-way power struggle”. He is believed to have raised the idea of leaving at the start of this season, but Abramovich was initially reluctant. But he has now agreed to the move in a bid to put an end to recent rumours surrounding Conte’s future at the club.

There were reports last week that Conte and Abramovich are no longer on speaking terms, with all communication between the pair going through Granovskaia.

In a statement released yesterday, Emenalo said: “This has been a very difficult decision to make, but one I believe is right for both myself and my family, and the club. I have had the privilege to work alongside some of the most talented people in the world of sport over the past ten years, and I will depart incredibly proud of the achievements we have made. I wish Chelsea every success and look forward to following the club’s future triumphs from afar.”

The Guardian speculates that the 52-year-old may be offered a similar role at Monaco, although Vitesse Arnhem, who have a good working relationship with Chelsea, have just parted company with their technical director after Mo Allach joined Maccabi Haifa.

As for who Chelsea might bring in to replace a man of Emenalo’s experience, the Daily Mail has noted that one of Conte’s former charges at Juventus, Andrea Pirlo, “announced his retirement less than an hour after Emenalo’s departure”. Pirlo brought down the curtain on his illustrious career playing for New York City in the MLS, and speculation is likely to grow in the coming days that the 38-year-old could soon be reunited with Conte at Chelsea.