The Saudi Pro League has appointed former Super Eagles left-back, Michael Emenalo, as the first-ever Director of Football of the league, Soccernet.ng reports.
The former Enugu Rangers full-back, who has accrued experiences with Chelsea as an assistant manager, and later as a Technical Director with the London side, also worked with AS Monaco in France as a Sporting director, and as per The Athletic, the 57-year-old will be overseeing football affairs in Saudi Arabia, majorly focusing on developing the competition and the teams.
Soccernet reports that the Saudi Arabian league, which has welcomed an influx of European Superstars like Ngolo Kante, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly, have made their intent of development clear by bringing Emenalo on board, as his time at Chelsea and Monaco saw both clubs witness success on all fronts, amidst developments in internal revenue of the clubs and the quality of players recruited.
The former Chelsea technical director completely restructured Chelsea’s academy, scouting, loan and women’s team setups, and was an integral part of the club’s success having overseen the scouting and transfers of key players including Juan Mata, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas, who all went on to become household names with the Blues, and won numerous trophies with the club.
Emenalo’s appointment will prove pivotal in the development of the Saudi League in the next decade and he’s expected to bring his staff with him to fully explore their expertise, experience and connections of people he has worked with before.
