Chelsea remember they lack a technical director: Who are they targeting?

Nine months after Michael Emenalo left and two transfer windows later, Chelsea remember they have an opening for technical director. Who are the targets?

A lot can change in nine months. In November of 2017, Michael Emenalo left Chelsea after finally seeing a youth product break into the team and because he wanted more time with his family. Chelsea at the time was still doing well in all competitions and Antonio Conte still looked like the man who would lead Chelsea for some time to come.

Fast forward nine months, two transfer windows, a poor back half of the season, and one new manager later and Chelsea’s board finally remembered that they have a vacancy in the technical director spot. Not ones to be rushed, the board has decided that they will wait until the transfer window ends to start the search.

Of course, the Blues have already done things backwards. Most logically thinking clubs would hire a technical director who would then help find a manager who suits their long term vision. The signings would follow that same pattern. But Chelsea got the manager first, gave him players he liked, and will now hunt for a technical director who will say “oh yeah those are moves I would have made too!” So who are the targets and will they be okay with stepping in with a lot of work already done for them?

The four targets reported by Matt Law in The Telegraph all have varying degrees of pros and cons and varying degrees of fit with Maurizio Sarri and the current Chelsea set up. The list of four includes the Football Association’s technical director Dan Ashworth, Roma’s technical director Monchi, and former Chelsea players Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack. It is also worth mentioning that Manchester United is also in the hunt for their first ever technical director at this time, which will complicate the Blue’s search.

Ashworth would be the choice most beneficial to the academy. As the FA’s technical director, he would have found many of the Chelsea players who then came into England’s youth squads. He would have done the same throughout the country so he would be adept at finding young English talent to both fill the academy and round out the first team.

The question would be how good is he at finding talent from elsewhere? If the Blues loses a key player, can he find someone from outside of England that not only suits the manager at the time but the overall vision? Furthermore, he is likely Manchester United’s first, second, and third choice for their technical director. If Chelsea really wants Ashworth, they may be in for a fight.

Monchi would be by and far the best of the candidates due to his experience and because Chelsea may want an Italian to work with Sarri. Monchi played his entire career at Sevilla before becoming their technical director. In about 15 years, he took them from the second division to being perennial Europa League winners towards the top of the La Liga table. He recently left for Roma and he has already used his brief time to reshape the team with cheap yet promising signings. With the Blue’s resources, he could dominate the market.

The first issue with Monchi is that he reportedly difficult to work with. He would likely connect with Sarri, but the board is another matter. History has shown that the board does not enjoy being challenged and Monchi is likely to be that type of person. He also has only just joined Roma, and though the Italian side and Chelsea have a good relationship, it likely will not extend that far. Manchester United is also interested, but they are probably less likely to go for a firebrand like Monchi.

The last two have been linked before and both were former Chelsea players. Belletti was strongly linked to come to Chelsea as technical director with Luis Enrique as manager. As the Enrique rumors died down, so too did the Belletti rumors (until now of course). The other former player, Michael Ballack, made a massive impression (and was massively impressed himself) during his time at the Blues. He is a fan favorite and regularly supports the Blues on social media when he is not doing studio analysis for a competition somewhere.

Now, both of these are more heart before head choices. Their former playing days outweigh their lack of experience in the eyes of many. Furthermore, Emenalo had only scouting experience before becoming technical director, so it is possible that Belletti or Ballack would do well at the role despite lacking in experience. For Belletti, it will likely depend on just how closely linked to Enrique he was and whether he would be okay with someone else in the managerial seat. For Ballack, Chelsea would probably only have to ask for him to say yes.

The Blues took forever to get moving on the technical director replacement for Emenalo but the choices are at the very least solid or interesting. Monchi would be the clear best candidate given his experience and likely ability to connect with Sarri. Ballack would be the fans’ favorite choice but would be a gamble given his lack of experience with such a role.

Regardless, it is nice to see the Blues finally making moves to fill such a vital position. The sooner Chelsea hires a technical director, the sooner the club starts looking less like a circus. A long term vision is needed and a technical director can provide just that.