Chelsea general manager Paul Green has confirmed that Emma Hayes will remain ‘heavily involved’ with the team, including watching training virtually and being connected to the dugout on match days, during her break from football to recover from an emergency hysterectomy.
Hayes announced on Thursday that she would be taking time away from the sport to recover from the surgery that she underwent following her ongoing battle with endometriosis.
Green confirmed that Hayes is ‘improving everyday’, but no timeframe is to be given for her full return.
“Emma will definitely still be involved, you know what sort of character she is, she’ll be at home watching all the training online, she’ll be watching all the games and linked into the bench on match days as long as she’s well enough to do that,” said Green.
“So she’ll be heavily involved and I’m sure it will be difficult for her to watch the games from home but hopefully we can play well in those games and get the results needed.”
Chelsea players and coaching staff were made aware of Hayes’ situation before October’s international break, giving the club the time to prepare for her absence.
Green admitted while Hayes’ absence was a blow, he backed the club’s experienced players to help the squad cope.
“We were aware of it just before the international break, so that gave us the opportunity to get set up and of course Emma’s health is the most important thing and it was a good window for her to be able to get in, have the surgery, and for us to get organised behind the scenes,” the Chelsea general manager explained.
“The players knew about the situation before the international break so coming back it wasn’t a shock and reading the statement wasn’t a shock. It’s business as usual for us, it just means our leader won’t be there which is a blow, but the staff and the players are experienced enough to get through the situation.
“We’ve got Magda [Eriksson], Millie [Bright] – the two captains – along with a lot of other senior players who I’m sure will be making sure the players maintain their standards and look to get the results through this period for Emma.”
Green was taking charge of media duties in Hayes’ absence, and he will also be in charge of on-field decisions, alongside assistant coach Denise Reddy.
Reddy was Hayes’ assistant at Chicago Red Stars between 2008 and 2010, and has vast experience as a number one, having had spells in charge of Sky Blue, Linkopings, and Vittsjö GIK. The 52-year-old was based in Scandinavia earlier in her career, and completed her UEFA Pro Licence with Everton boss Brian Sorensen – who she will come up against on Sunday.
“Denise is very, very experienced,” added Green. “She’s going to have the team ready for the game, she is very detailed in her coaching, probably second to none in the way she speaks to players individually and goes through the individual analysis.
“She’ll be there on the touchline with Emma in her ear. She’ll be giving the instructions to the team – she’s very, very experienced so it’s not the first time Denise will have been in that situation before. She’s been a manager in her own right and a coach in the NWSL and in the Danish league so there’s not that much that will change, she’s always on the bench anyway working very closely with Emma, and that will continue even in this situation.”
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