News

Saudi Pro League appoint former Super Eagles defender as Director of Football

Ex-Super Eagles International and former Chelsea technical director has been appointed as the director of football of the Saudi Pro League.

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.

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.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

Share
Published by
Adefolahan Guerreiro

Recent Posts

“We’re not taking any chances” – NFF President confident Super Falcons can win WAFCON 2024

President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has backed the Super Falcons to take… Read More

59 minutes ago

“I truly believe it” -Éric Chelle optimistic about Nigeria’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Newly appointed Super Eagles coach, Éric Sékou Chelle, is confident he can lead the three-time… Read More

2 hours ago

“It was important” – Fulham head coach explains Bassey’s exclusion from FA Cup win over Watford

Fulham head coach, Marco Silva, has revealed why he opted not to field Super Eagles… Read More

3 hours ago

Super Eagles’ new boss Eric Chelle reveals three Nigerian football heroes he admires

Malian tactician Eric Chelle has expressed his admiration for some of Nigeria’s greatest football icons… Read More

4 hours ago

NFF President reveals Eric Chelle’s first assignment as Super Eagles coach

The Nigeria Football Federation President Ibrahim Gusau has revealed that coach Eric Chelle will only… Read More

5 hours ago

“We will score goals” – Eric Chelle’s first Super Eagles vow is great music to Osimhen, Lookman

Eric Sékou Chelle has promised to reinstate the Super Eagles’ reputation as a high-scoring team,… Read More

5 hours ago