Soccer: Michael Emenalo has been appointed Chelsea's assistant first team coach following the departure of Ray Wilkins last week.
Emenalo had been working as head opposition scout for the club since October 2007 but will now make the transition to coaching.
Chelsea confirmed the move in a statement on their official website: “Chelsea Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Emenalo to the position of Assistant First Team Coach. He moves up from his previous position of Head Opposition Scout.
“Michael has been an important part of the first team management structure since his arrival in October 2007, and his promotion to Assistant First Team Coach is recognition of his efforts to date. Michael will continue to oversee the first team scouting operation as he makes the transition to coaching. He will split the initial period between assisting First Team Coach Carlo Ancelotti and updating his coaching qualifications as he takes on this bigger and more influential role.”
Emenalo was brought to the club by former boss Avram Grant and along with first-team coach Paul Clement, he was favourite as a replacement for Wilkins as Chelsea looked to appoint from within the club.
“Michael Emenalo is doing a fantastic job as head opposition scout and he is already working very close to me,” said Ancelotti. Emenalo, 42, was a defender during his playing days and became known to Grant during their time at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
He moved to the United States in 1986 where he graduated from Boston University three years later with a degree in international relations with political sciences, having also played college soccer. He also played in Belgium and Germany before winning the Anglo-Italian Cup with Notts County. He won 14 caps for Nigeria in total and played in the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are sweating on the fitness of captain John Terry who is understood to have seen a chiropractor in Italy yesterday in a bid to solve a troublesome nerve problem in his right leg. Terry has been left in agony by the injury which has been managed during the season with a series of injections. The club are hoping that Terry might be fit for the clash with Newcastle on November 28.
The Blues are also relatively unconcerned by Alex’s selection as a substitute for Brazil against Argentina last night. The defender, who is likely to be out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury, was named as a sub but not used. He missed Chelsea’s games against Fulham and Sunderland due to his injury but joined up with his national side for the game in Qatar.
Alex was due to return to the club’s training ground at Cobham today for more treatment. It is likely he will undergo further investigation via arthroscopic surgery.