Chelsea could sacrifice the opportunity to strike deals with Brighton in the future if they decide to act upon their reported concerns with director Paul Winstanley. The 44-year-old is said to have come under fire internally at Stamford Bridge for his role in the departure of women’s manager Emma Hayes.
Earlier this week, Hayes announced that she would leave Chelsea at the end of the season, despite her public affection for the club. The 47-year-old made it clear in her departing statement that she would be focusing on non-club-related opportunities, and it has since emerged that she is set to become the USWNT (United States Women’s National Team) manager.
However, Chelsea have been left frustrated by Hayes’ imminent exit and how the matter unfolded. According to the Daily Mail, Winstanley will ‘face questions’ about why he was not able to keep the coach at the club despite being tasked with negotiating a bumper long-term deal with Hayes earlier this season and the matter widely being viewed as a ‘priority’.
Hayes is said to have told Winstanley that she intended on spending her entire career with Chelsea, but an agreement was not struck and the ex-Brighton chief put negotiations on pause so that he could prioritise other matters. The USWNT then pounced to turn Hayes’ head, and the sequence of events has gone down badly among the leadership at Chelsea.
The extent of the Blues’ frustrations remains to be seen, though they will be wary of the consequences of parting ways with Winstanley. The co-sporting director joined the club 12 months ago after being prised away from Brighton, and his knowledge of how the south coast side operates has proven incredibly useful since.
Winstanley’s relationship with Brighton players will be viewed as very keen in the future as well, having convinced Moises Caicedo to join Chelsea over the summer and snub Liverpool. Brighton have a reputation for scouting hidden gems around the world and nurturing their development, before cashing in and reinvesting the profits made.
The likes of Evan Ferguson, Julio Enciso and Kaoru Mitoma are among the top prospects in Roberto De Zerbi’s ranks currently, and Chelsea will want to ensure that they have an advantage in negotiations if they pursue any of the trio – or alternatives playing for the Amex Stadium outfit.
Top clubs around Europe are watching Brighton closely so Chelsea would be taking a significant risk if they opt to sacrifice the ace up their sleeves in the shape of Winstanley. If the Blues come down strongly on their co-sporting director, they could also hand a direct rival the upper hand in bidding wars if the chief is given an opportunity elsewhere.
