Former Chelsea exec Michael Emenalo set to become Saudi Pro League chief

The Saudi Pro League is set to appoint Michael Emenalo as its first ever director of football, according to The Athletic.

This summer has seen the arrival of a host of big names in the Saudi Pro League, including world class talent like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino, with Jordan Henderson apparently agreeing terms today with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.

The appointment of Emenalo, while not as spectacular as the on-field business, shows the scale and seriousness of the ambition of the Saudis to develop the league off the field.  

The Nigerian was previously Chelsea’s director of football between 2011-2017.  

During this time, he gained a reputation for implementing a scouting system that was the envy of Europe, helping bring talent such as Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard to Stamford Bridge.

After that he was appointed sporting director of AS Monaco. 

The 57-year-old former Nigerian international left-back is regarded as one of the best in his field and his brief will be to apply the kind of principles to the Saudi Pro League that are seen in the world’s biggest leagues, according to The Athletic.

Another of the key elements of his job will be to bring in staff from around the world to train and develop young Saudis to learn the industry, giving the Saudi top flight a level of domestic sustainability that doesn’t rely solely on external appointments.