The news that Emma Hayes, the tremendously successful manager of Chelsea Women’s football club, will be leaving at the end of the current season has really rocked the sport.
Emma Hayes Departure
It’s still hard to believe that Hayes won’t be on the sidelines next year for Chelsea.
Her departure is also putting pressure on the men’s side of things. Figures like Paul Winstanley, who are tasked with not only continuing the women’s team’s run of success but also trying to bring that level of success to the men, could be seen as failing if they can’t keep Hayes happy. It was their job to give her the support needed to stay.
Story Behind
A story by Nizaar Kinsella today shed some interesting light on the situation. Apparently, Chelsea offered Hayes a huge raise – quadrupling her salary! But even that massive increase wasn’t enough to convince her to stay. Hayes seems to be prioritizing work-life balance now. While coaching the USA women’s national team will surely come with lots of international travel, it may allow her more flexibility than leading Chelsea’s women’s side.
Leak from the Club
To us, it feels like Chelsea leaked this information about the pay raise to the media. They likely wanted people to know they did everything possible to keep Hayes in London. In other words, they want the public to see her departure as out of their control. Even tripling a star manager’s salary wasn’t enough. Chelsea can say they tried their best, but Hayes had her reasons for wanting a change. It’ll be fascinating to see what’s next for both her and Chelsea Women without their mastermind in charge.
