‘I’m well again’: Emma Hayes on hidden trauma, ADHD and Chelsea upheaval

‘I’ve got so much better at managing players by learning about my son and vice versa,’ says Emma Hayes, the Chelsea Women manager. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Observer

Emma Hayes is serene in a small bungalow in Cobham as, amid the uncertainty, one era sweeps into another at Chelsea’s heavily monitored training ground. Two weeks ago, a short walk from here, Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea’s owners the morning after his 100th game at the club. Hayes had just passed 10 years in charge of Chelsea Women, in a reign made remarkable by five Women’s Super League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.

The second half of her career at Chelsea coincided with the arrival of her son, Harry, born only half an hour before Hayes gave birth to his twin brother, Albie, who had died inside her after 28 weeks. Now it feels as if she has been released from four years of hidden trauma.