I know we were all waiting with bated breath to see if Michael Emenalo did indeed get the director of football job at Chelsea, and the answer is... yes. Kind of. The Blues have confirmed that Emenalo will be the club's technical director, and while on the face of things that may sound like a director of football with a different hat, there are some subtle differences that we'd all do well to be aware of.
Let's hear them from the man himself:
[As technical director,] I [am responsible for our scouting structure internationally and domestically, and assist the progress of the Academy. The decisions about who comes in will be the manager's but to arrive at that stage there'll be a lot of working together.
-Michael Emenalo, new Chelsea technical director. Source: Matt Lewis (Twitter).
A director of football, of course, is expected to handle most transfer himself, with the manager relegated to an advisory role. This sounds like Andre Villas-Boas has more power over player movement than we initially thought he would, and considering how bright that man is, that can't be a bad thing at all.
So, Emenalo is essentially the head of scouting and player development with some sort of advisory/administrative role on transfers. Obviously, we know nothing about his skills or credentials, but it doesn't sound like he's got as much responsibility (and remember, he was chief scout with the club before Ray Wilkins' dismissal) as many had previously expected and/or feared.
Despite the diminished role, it may well prove to be too much for Emenalo to handle. But we don't know that, and hopefully he manages with aplomb. Good like, Michael!