Chelsea sporting director under fire for avoidable error leading to Hayes exit

09 November 2023 , 08:00

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The exit of Hayes has Chelsea's sporting director under fire

Chelsea owners are demanding answers from sporting director Paul Winstanley who failed to prioritise Emma Hayes' new contract at the club.

Hayes announced that she will be leaving the club for the vacant US women's national team role, which ended her 12-year tenure with the club. She brought six league titles to Chelsea in that period.

Winstanley was responsible for negotiating Haye's deal and, despite Chelsea honchos want her deal done as a priority, he shifted his attention to other club issues.

According to Mail Sport, the club is said to be furious with Winstanley for his negligence. Chelsea executives are now thought to be questioning his decision-making abilities going forward.

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Amid the pause in negotiations, the US Soccer Federation spotted an opportunity and offered Hayes the job. Vlatko Andonovski previously held the position and resigned after the USWNT's disappointing performance at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Twila Kilgore assumed the role of interim head coach, but she never got the chance to coach a game.

What's particularly frustrating for Chelsea is that Hayes had expressed her desire to continue as the club manager for the rest of her career. When she took the USA job frustrations boiled over.

Chelsea, it seems, were ready to make her the highest-paid manager in the Women's Super League. Hayes instead decided to take up the new opportunity presented by US Soccer, which she found too good to refuse.

Hayes coached Chelsea to 6 WSL titles (Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock)

Hayes previously expressed interest in the USWNT after the team's elimination in the Round of 16 of the World Cup. She wrote a critical analysis of the team's issues and observed the overall progress and new developments in women's international soccer.

"They seem to me like a team that is very stressed, but it is also important to point out that the pressure on the US is greater than any other nation," she wrote. "They have won for so long that everybody just expects them to win. I know firsthand at Chelsea how challenging it is to keep winning again and again."

"My feeling is that the US as a nation will have to adapt its expectations around international success in women's football. It is not that the team is necessarily failing, and it is not just about this team or this coach. For the US, there needs to be a bigger conversation about their collegiate system and youth development as well as the NWSL."

Chelsea confirmed the departure of Hayes in an official statement through their website and social media. The message read: "Chelsea FC can today confirm that highly decorated Chelsea Women's manager Emma Hayes will depart the club at the end of the season to pursue a new opportunity outside of the WSL and club football."

After the announcement, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali said, "Emma's contribution to Chelsea cannot be overstated. She has been a pioneer in women's football and is hugely respected within the game."

Hayes joined Chelsea in 2012. Along with winning six WSL titles, she also won five FA Cups, two FA Women's League Cups, an FA Women's Spring Series trophy, and the Community Shield with the club.

Rory Robinson