Popular Chelsea staff member quits after 13 years to at club leave Blues stunned
Chelsea medical director Dimitrios Kalogiannidis has quit the club in what is another major reshuffle of the Blues’ backroom team.
He has held the role at Stamford Bridge since October 2022 after replacing Paco Biosca, who quit amid Todd Boehly’s arrival at the club. Now, Kalogiannidis has decided that his time is also up due to family reasons.
It was suggested that he informed the club hierarchy that he was to leave on Thursday. Kalogiannidis will now depart the club imminently and with Chelsea ’s best wishes after becoming a hugely popular member of the backroom team.
According to The Telegraph, his departure is “entirely amicable”, while co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have not ruled out a potential return in the near future. Meanwhile, Kalogiannidis’ exit has not been forced, while there is ‘sadness and understanding’ over his departure.
He had enjoyed a long stint in West London despite the relatively short amount of time that he was in his most recent role. He had worked for Chelsea for over 13 years, serving roles as the club’s first-team doctor, academy doctor and first-team doctor of the women’s side.
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During that time, he became a popular figure with staff and players and earned the nickname ‘Dimi’. Chelsea will reportedly not rush the search for his successor, while Kalogiannidis’ responsibilities will be shared out among the current members of staff.
His exit however is another blow to Chelsea’s medical team. The Blues have suffered a huge array of injury worries this season.
Dimitrios Kalogiannidis (centre) has left Chelsea after 13 years (Getty Images)Has Todd Boehly's ownership of Chelsea been a success or failure? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana have all suffered from long-term issues this season. Meanwhile, summer signing Christopher Nkunku has struggled to get fit since his arrival from RB Leipzig.
Speaking about the Frenchman’s ongoing issues, Mauricio Pochettino said: “We are a little bit worried about the situation of Nkunku because it’s 10 days that he cannot train and we are assessing him.”
“We thought it was a small issue but now it looks more complicated,” he added. “Now it is 10 days without him training. After six months waiting for him and now, after being so close to him feeling comfortable and after starting the game against Palace, of course we are disappointed by that. We are a little bit worried because we want him to be back involved again as soon as possible.”
Chelsea are next back in action next week as they attempt to turn around their Carabao Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough.
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