Wright charges Man Utd to replace Ed Woodward with Emenalo
Arsenal icon, Ian Wright, has charged Manchester United to replace the club’s football director, Ed Woodward with former Nigerian international, Michael Emenalo, if England’s most successful club wants a return to the glory days.
United’s chief executive Woodward, currently in charge of making transfer decisions as well as the sacking and appointing of managers, has been widely criticised for his transfer strategy in recent seasons.
Known for his hard-nosed approach to transfer dealings, the Old Trafford bigwig has secured some huge signings for the club.
But he has also missed out on a load of top quality players, including Erling Haaland, Antoine Griezmann, Eden Hazard, Virgil van Dijk, and most recently, Spanish left-back Sergio Reguilon.
Emenalo would be the ideal replacement for Woodward, says Wright, who is impressed by how the Nigerian administrator helped oversee the most successful spell in Chelsea’s history, first as assistant coach and then as technical director between 2007 and 2017.
The former Super Eagles full-back is credited with signing the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, and Cesc Fabregas. He is being tipped to wreak similar magic at Old Trafford.
“For me, and it’s blatantly obvious to me, you’ve got someone like Michael Emenalo who was at Chelsea,” Wright said on The Kelly & Wrighty Show, as per the Express.
“We’re talking about under [Roman] Abramovich with three different managers, and he still managed, because he’s a football man, to get the job done.
“What happened with Chelsea was that when we say ‘another manager’s come in’, but they’re still winning trophies.
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“This is the thing because he’s put a culture and [template] in where they can just put that player in, bring that manager in, and they can go forward and do it.
“That’s what Man United need, and that is what they haven’t got, and that is the elephant in the room.”
Emenalo, a former director at Monaco, is widely regarded as one of the most decorated executives in football and a crucial part of Chelsea’s success during the modern era.
Coach Eddie Newton previously recommended the former defender for the Technical Director role at Turkish side Trabzonspor.