Michael Emenalo has given a rare interview to the Chelsea FC website and I found it quite a good read:

 

http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3451487/title/emenalo-plans-in-place?

 

 

 

EMENALO: PLANS IN PLACE

Posted on: Sun 08 Sep 2013

 

The nine months ahead are the testing ground for much hard work, preparation and thinking that went before, but with the pre-season completed and the squad finalised until January at least with the closing of the transfer window, now is the time to sit down with technical director Michael Emenalo to review the summer moves, plus the planning for the current campaign and seasons to come.

The official Chelsea website did just that this week and in part two of the interview tomorrow, Emenalo will look in detail at the use of the loan system by the club. Today he considers player recruitment, youth development and this summer's pre-season.

'The first thing to say is we are happy to have Jose [Mourinho] back,' Emenalo says.

'He is a very good decision maker and a trusted component in the decision-making process due to what he has achieved here. He came in with clear ideas of what he wanted to do, which were not dissimilar from what we were already in the process of doing, and that helped.

'I am very happy with the squad we have created. You can't always get exactly what you want but in the main we were very close.

'With the ambition of the club and the owner, and his goodwill in following that ambition with investment, we try to have a short-term and a long-term project and we feel we are satisfying that.'

Those projects mean recruiting players who can deliver on the pitch in the immediate future and players who will help the club continue to grow for a long time ahead. The squad additions for this season include young players purchased during the last few years but then loaned to play at a high level elsewhere before returning, a policy Emenalo will discuss tomorrow.

They also include totally fresh faces including young ones of great potential plus the experience of Mark Schwarzer and Samuel Eto'o. The striker's arrival last week showed the club will still sign well-established star names when the time is right.

'We are looking for continuity at the top level, a very high standard, so when we recruit an older player we hope it is one that will give us that continuity, and we also look to have the right base in that particular position.

'In the case of Samuel Eto'o, it was an open secret that we wanted Wayne Rooney and I don't need to explain what the idea is behind wanting a player like Rooney.

'But we are not desperate and we know for the future we have Romelu Lukaku and incredible hope that he will come through and lead the line. People keep forgetting that he is only 20 and looking at the short-term plan, we don't want to put too much pressure on a young player like him.

'So if we weren't able to get Rooney and we had Lukaku, Ba and Torres, we felt comfortable with them but we also felt comfortable to bring Eto'o to give us a little bit of competition, because we wanted to freshen up that position. We have every confidence in Torres, Ba and Lukaku but with Eto'o we have bought experience.'

 

The younger players added to the squad have been acquired from other clubs but hopes are high that the Chelsea Academy is soon to be a main source. Changes to competition structure for the teams below first team level are considered crucial in allowing that to happen.

'We are very happy we now have a system for both academy and Under-21 teams that allows the young players to play a lot of games, because the only way you develop young players is for them to play,' insists Emenalo.

'When I first came to Chelsea, the reserves had an 18-game schedule and that was not going to prepare a young player for the first team and to compete with someone like Frank Lampard who was playing 60 games, or Michael Essien who was playing 55.

'It wasn't right and it unfortunately affected some young players who were in the first team squad and weren't playing a lot. At the end of the season some had a combined total at all levels of 16 games or even less, so you lose a season and I feel convinced that if those players over a two-year period had played 35 games a season like Lewis Baker has just done, they would be much closer to the first team than they are now.'

Emenalo highlights the importance especially of an increased game load for the Under-21 team due to their league format changing, and has already noted the benefit.

'When Nathan Ake had his chance with the first team last season he did not have one single moment of cramp. When we took Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Andreas Christensen to play in America against Manchester City at the end of the season, they survived it without cramps too and that is because they play a huge amount of games now which helps their lung capacity and their legs, and they are able to sustain difficult games at high intensity so that is a big change.

'When the next batch of players come from the Academy or come back from loan, they are much more ready than they used to be, and we have very good young English players and young foreign players we have developed here who we feel in the near future will come to the first team and will stay.'

First team physical, technical and tactical preparation this summer took place in Asia and the United States as well as a week at Cobham at the start and at the end, and our technical director reports very positively on an important six weeks.

'The pre-season was outstanding,' he says.

'The manager was incredible, with great ideas which he started to implement with the players from day one. The players responded amazingly and it was one of the best pre-seasons I have seen here.

'We had to do a lot of travelling to make it all happen and in the early games against Hull and Aston Villa we suffered physically a little because we came back and players had to go on international duties, but in terms of preparation, work and bonding it was absolutely wonderful and the level of matches we played was good preparation.'

 

 

This got me thinking, what does the Shed End community think of Mr. Emenalo? For me, I have been very happy with his work so far. The singings since Michael took over have been, as a majority, very good and to me he looks like he's created a structure that links the first team with the youth teams much more closely than previous. However, I can understand while people dislike him due to the sacking of Ray Wilkins and the recommendation of a certain Spanish manager. 

 

I'm looking forward to part two of his interview tomorrow, where our loan system is being looked at in more detail.

 

So, ladies and gentlemen. Michael Emenalo - Friend or Foe?

 

 

He talks very well of the setup, if not completely towing the Corporate line, I can see him stepping in Joses toes though, so could be interesting, would like to no about Jose's input into our Transfers though?

Well, a lot of people accused him of being one of the main reasons RDM got sacked but I don't know anything about that and neither do most people who blamed him. All I know is he has done a very good job so far.

Overall his transfers have been excellent in my opinion, done a good job.

I was VERY sceptical of him for a long time, but, it has to be said, if he's had an input into assembling our current squad then he's done a great job.
There's no doubt we have the best young squad in the league, and i would dare to say the best this club has ever had.

No idea if he recommended Benitez to Roman, but if he did, what a c**t.

We do at least have a proper joined up strategy, lengthen the playing years of top players whilst bringing in best young players from europe nd south America then get em out on loan to develop them and then hopefully bring them back in to the squad, as per KDB

Emeralo must be responsible, so looks decent job

What a job he's got. Spending other peoples money.

Has he done better than anyone else in that role?

No idea if he recommended Benitez to Roman, but if he did, what a c**t.

 

Really, I'd rather forget.

What a job he's got. Spending other peoples money.

Has he done better than anyone else in that role?

 

Seemingly so given the ammo at our disposal - Utd and City have similar funds and I expect them to be looking on enviously of our up and coming...

 

I wouldn't underestimate the job, if you're sh*t I'd expect you to get found out very quickly whether towing the corporate line or not - results always speak

Part two:

http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3452299/title/emenalo-plans-in-place---part-two?

(Sorry if the formatting is a bit off. I'm posting this from my phone and am a little rushed.)

EMENALO: PLANS IN PLACE - PART TWO

Posted on: Mon 09 Sep 2013

Yesterday, Chelsea's technical director Michael Emenalo spoke about players coming into the squad, youth development and the pre-season. In part two of the interview today, he looks at loans…

Anyone who observed Chelsea in the transfer market and our use of the loan system in the last couple of years is likely to have noticed a trend.

Players with youth on their side but good first team experience in other leagues, and often with international caps to their names too, have been signed and then loaned out to play top-flight football elsewhere.

Potentially those players had an immediate part to play in the Chelsea squad but in the case of Kevin De Bruyne, an extra season impressing in the Bundesliga following a half-season loan at his former club in Belgium made sure he was ready for this season at the Bridge.

Regular action at Vitesse Arnhem helped Tomas Kalas win his first Czech Republic cap and convince Jose Mourinho he could play a part this year.

This summer Wallace went on loan to Inter Milan and current Ghana international Christian Atsu is at Vitesse having been recruited from Porto. Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtios continue as loan players in top-level leagues, and there are a range of other loans through the younger ages at the club.

'It is a pattern,' confirms Chelsea's technical director Michael Emenalo, 'and this season is a good test for what we've implemented with young players given the stipulations of Financial Fair Play, but even regardless of the Financial Fair Play regulations, we think this is the best way to go.'

The loan policy is one the club believes has merit in ensuring the conveyor belt of developing players heading towards the first team has an even spread of potential along its length, and not just clusters at particular ages. Young players coming into the first team at Chelsea are asked to begin at a very high standard indeed, and they need to be ready for that.

'When I came here six years ago we had great players but what we had below those great players were players too young and too far apart to be able to integrate them. Now we have great players and they are not so far apart. Now we have a player like Frank Lampard at 35 but then we have quality players in Ramires, John Mikel Obi, Michael Essien and Marco van Ginkel, and then we have from the Academy young players who can come in and do the job like Nathaniel Chalobah and Josh McEachran.

'We are trying to bridge the gap and at left-back now behind Ashley Cole we have Ryan Bertand but we also have Patrick van Aanholt.

'We have Romelu Lukaku who soon will be able to come back in and Juan Mata is 25, Oscar and Hazard are 22 but behind them from the Academy, in terms of age, Lewis Baker, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jeremie Boga are not too far away.

'By the time those older guys are 27, the younger ones will be around 22 and ready. The gap is not too big and that makes it easier to bring through young players.'

As current Academy players progress towards a regular place in the first team squad, time out on loan at some stage is highly likely despite optimism that the reconfigured Under-21 League is raising the standard of the competition at that level. Emenalo spoke yesterday about the importance of more games for developing players.

Comparisons have recently been made in the media between the number of players Chelsea have out on loan and the number for other top clubs in Europe, but that can be misleading given for instance the 'B' sides of the Spanish giants playing in the lower divisions there.

'We are trying to find a way because given Financial Fair Play stipulations we need to recruit young and we also need to have a reservoir of talent that we develop,' says Emenalo.

'We identified that for young players, the ages of 18 to 21 is the most difficult time as they wonder if they are good enough for the Chelsea first team and what is next for them. When they only play in the Reserves/Under-21s from 18 to 20 you don't get them to ascend to the level where they are ready to come into the first team and do a job properly.

'We felt it is better for them at that age to go on loan to somewhere where they get visibility and good competition. For psychological and physical reasons that is the best thing to do at that age. They test themselves and they feel good about competing at a higher level, and it also gives us a chance to evaluate them and know if they are ready to come back.

'While we are doing that, the players who are very talented from 16 to 18-years-old get the opportunity to play 45 games in a very good Under-21 league, the UEFA Youth League and the FA Youth Cup. So the development from 16 to 18 is perfect because they have the right games to play, and from 18 to 21 they can go on loan and have the right games to play and it gives us the opportunity to develop them properly and to evaluate them.

'What is happening with the Under-21 league is a good thing but it still doesn't help with a talented Chelsea player at 20. He is aspiring to a higher level if you look at Kenneth Omeruo who is not even 20 yet, or Tomas Kalas.'

Omeruo, who is a full Nigeria international, and Kalas (pictured above left) were on loan last season and were near-ever-presents in the Dutch top flight. Similar applies to slightly older players like Van Aanholt and Gael Kakuta.

With the reasons why players are sent on loan clear, the other question is where to send them. There are offers every year from many clubs who want an informal relationship for us to help each other out regarding loans, and plenty of clubs have been involved in loans with Chelsea.

'If it is working with Vitesse it is because the Dutch league plays in a desirable way and they have done what they promised,' explains Emenalo.

'When they say they want a player and we say are you sure you need him and they say yes, the player actually does play.

'If tomorrow a Championship team in England wants the same kind of relationship with us it is no problem, Vitesse has no exclusivity. We sent Josh McEachran to Middlesbrough and he played a lot and we were very happy with that, and if Middlesbrough want a player in the future we will be happy to send him because we think we have a good relationship and we have confidence the player will be very well looked after.

'The loan process at Chelsea has become very professional and a good deal of thought has gone into it,' Emenalo sums up.

'We don't send players out because we are trying to recover some money, we send them because we want them to play and develop and we want to monitor them. We have a system in place, headed by me and with Eddie Newton supported by [head of player welfare] Kevin Campello, that means we keep a close eye on them and the manager knows exactly what is happening at all times.'

Wasn't the issue at the start that he appeared to be Avram Grant volume 2?

 

He has brought in good players, but they haven't exactly been hidden gems (possibly with the exceptions of De Bruyne/Courtois) and if it is right that he recommended FSW to Roman, then it shows he doesn't really hold the fans opinion in high regard.

 

There's something not right about his role there IMO, but in truth we don't know how much authority he really has or how much pull with Roman he has.

 

He does however, deserve plenty of credit for the loan system we have at the moment. Seems to be working a treat.

Wasn't the issue at the start that he appeared to be Avram Grant volume 2?

 

He has brought in good players, but they haven't exactly been hidden gems (possibly with the exceptions of De Bruyne/Courtois) and if it is right that he recommended FSW to Roman, then it shows he doesn't really hold the fans opinion in high regard.

 

There's something not right about his role there IMO, but in truth we don't know how much authority he really has or how much pull with Roman he has.

 

He does however, deserve plenty of credit for the loan system we have at the moment. Seems to be working a treat.

 

 

I don't know, even if not complete unknowns the club has down well to secure such highly regarded young talent.

 

KDB and Coutois as you mentioned were both signed for under £10m but are now both probably worth double that without even playing for Chelsea.

 

Add to that managing to sign Lukaku, Hazard and Oscar who, although were not cheap were much sort after and something is going right. 

 

We barely sign anyone over the age of 24/25 now which was a big shift in transfer policy for us and it's happened mainly in the time Emenalo has been the Technical Director. 

 

Throw in signings like Schurrle, Willian, Luiz, Ramires and van Ginkel and that's a whole lot of talent that can serve the club for a long duration.

 

I have no idea what, if any, involvement he had in bringing Benetiz in as interim manager but it's hard to hold him accountable without knowing (incoming Rafa reference) the FACTS. 

 

With regards to player recruitment however, I think he's doing well. 

Its not just the hidden gems. Since Torres, our transfer dealings have been quite good, as far as players coming in goes.

 

Maybe Hazard was a well known talent, but sometimes these talents end up like Balotelli or Robinho. Rambo was also inexpensive while mata was a bargain. These days players like mata go for 30+ million

No idea if he recommended Benitez to Roman, but if he did, what a c**t.

See I still think Benitez did a good job. Our transfers have been excellent ever since the Torres debacle and the loan system is working a treat. Emenalo comes across as a first class talent in those interview. We are becoming a more professional club all the time.

I think credit must go to Roman who has overseen the development of the club in a number of areas, starting with success on the field and then using that as a stepping stone to building something for the future.

Its only the ground that's missing. Such a shame we didn't get Battersea.

Edited September 10, 201312 yr by ozboy

Its only the ground that's missing. Such a shame we didn't get Battersea.

 

Oh man that's very true, we need a new ground badly. At least a 70-thousand seater.

If Emenalo is responsible for the young talent we've been recruiting, then he's doing very well. Hazard, Oscar, De Bruyne, Schurrle, Lukaku, hopefully Van Hinkel, will only get better as they grow. And the fact that all of these players are going to be rotated heavily means they will stay injury-free and avoid Michael Owen-esque overworking and burnout. By the time these boys are 26 Chelsea will be the best team in the world.

Edited September 10, 201312 yr by haaggus

Im not so quick to say he is doing a good job. Lets be honest he doesnt go out and scoat these players himself. All he does is the business side of things. Also letting Studge go for peanuts was almost as stupid as keeping Torres at the club.

Yes i agree with most, we have made some very good signings but how much that is down to him we just dont know.

I would give him credit for the loan system though. It does seem like we are loaning to the right clubs and getting our players the game time they need or putting them in the shop window so we can sell.

It would be even better if we saw the fruit of all this labour and saw a youth player make it through the ranks to become a regular player in our first team.

All in all im still unsure about this guy. While i dont think he is doing a bad job (after all the club is going in the right direction) i cant give him all the credit because i cant see what he has actually achieved yet.

Also the sacking of Robbie and bringing the FSW was one of the worst choices i have known as a Chelsea fan. It actually made me question if i wanted to watch football at all.

See I still think Benitez did a good job. Our transfers have been excellent ever since the Torres debacle and the loan system is working a treat. Emenalo comes across as a first class talent in those interview. We are becoming a more professional club all the time.

I think credit must go to Roman who has overseen the development of the club in a number of areas, starting with success on the field and then using that as a stepping stone to building something for the future.

Its only the ground that's missing. Such a shame we didn't get Battersea.

The grounds missing? Christ I've been away longer than I thought!

Battersea is for stray animals and drug dealers. Seems perfect for QPR but not for us Bohemian Chelsea fans.

Im not so quick to say he is doing a good job. Lets be honest he doesnt go out and scoat these players himself. All he does is the business side of things. Also letting Studge go for peanuts was almost as stupid as keeping Torres at the club.

Sturridge went because he wanted to go due to a lack of play time. There's nothing Emenalo could have done to give him that. I think he still managed to get a decent fee, considering that Liverpool could have got Sturridge for free only half a year later.

And Torres is still there because it is almost impossible to offload him with those huge wages.

Edited September 10, 201312 yr by True Blue23

Given his background I still can't believe he got the job for this club.  Don't know him, but there is just something about him I don't like, he is almost like Roman's 'snout' which can't be good for any of the managers or the dressing room if everything is going back to Roman.  But fair play to him if he has been instrumental in buying some of these young players, however how many home grown players has he brought in? 

Im not so quick to say he is doing a good job. Lets be honest he doesnt go out and scoat these players himself. All he does is the business side of things. Also letting Studge go for peanuts was almost as stupid as keeping Torres at the club.

Yes i agree with most, we have made some very good signings but how much that is down to him we just dont know.

I would give him credit for the loan system though. It does seem like we are loaning to the right clubs and getting our players the game time they need or putting them in the shop window so we can sell.

It would be even better if we saw the fruit of all this labour and saw a youth player make it through the ranks to become a regular player in our first team.

All in all im still unsure about this guy. While i dont think he is doing a bad job (after all the club is going in the right direction) i cant give him all the credit because i cant see what he has actually achieved yet.

Also the sacking of Robbie and bringing the FSW was one of the worst choices i have known as a Chelsea fan. It actually made me question if i wanted to watch football at all.

 

The problem is, we don't know for sure who is responsible for what at Chelsea with regards to incoming and outgoing players.

 

Was the decision to sell Sturridge made by Emenalo or did Di Matteo/Benetiz consider him surplus to requirements and ask for him to be sold? 

 

His name has been thrown around a bit regarding Di Matteo's sacking but wouldn't the decision to hire and fire managers be likely to come from Roman, Gourlay and Buck? 

 

I don't know if Emenalo's role is the same as what Frank Arnesen had but I personally believe the player recruitment has been more focused under Emenalo, especially for the youth team. Under Arnesen we was throwing huge amounts of money at youth team recruitment's that mostly failed to produce, one example being Di Santo who we paid £4m for but sold £1m... You really shouldn't be losing money youth players and considering the level of recruitment youth players weren't even getting close to breaking through (for one reason or the other). 

Given his background I still can't believe he got the job for this club.  Don't know him, but there is just something about him I don't like, he is almost like Roman's 'snout' which can't be good for any of the managers or the dressing room if everything is going back to Roman.  But fair play to him if he has been instrumental in buying some of these young players, however how many home grown players has he brought in? 

And what do you base all that on?

Transfers in have generally been very good, but transfers out have been poor. Benayoun on loan to a top 4 rival, selling Sturridge who has scored sh*t loads since then like we all knew he would, loaning Moses to a top 5/6 rival, The lack of Torres being shipped out, etc..

Transfers in have generally been very good, but transfers out have been poor. Benayoun on loan to a top 4 rival, selling Sturridge who has scored sh*t loads since then like we all knew he would, loaning Moses to a top 5/6 rival, The lack of Torres being shipped out, etc..

 

really?