Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack is a surprise name on the shortlist of candidates to become the club’s new Director of Football.
The Standard report the Ballack is one of many names under consideration by the Chelsea board as they look for somebody to take the position vacated by Michael Emenalo in November.
The German spent four years playing for the Blues between 2006 and 2010 having been released by Bayern Munich and won five trophies, including the Premier League.
The 41 -year-old remains closely associated with the club, having taken part in a charity match against Inter Milan last week in remembrance of Ray Wilkins.
Other names in the frame include another former Blue, Juliano Belletti, and current sporting director at Lille, Luis Campos.
Campos has previously worked at Real Madrid and latterly Monaco, where he is credited with nurturing young talents such as Kylian Mbappe, Anthony Martial and Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Since retirement, Ballack has done a lot of media work and is a well-regarded figure in the game with 98 Germany caps to his name, as well as playing for a number of top European clubs.
