Football ‘needs to wake up’, the women’s game isn’t a ‘step down’

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was linked with a switch to the men’s game with AFC Wimbledon, but any suggestion that would be a step up she calls an ‘insult’

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes (Getty Images)

The idea that leaving the best team in women’s football for League One would be a step up has been labelled “insulting” by one of most successful managers in the game.

Chelsea Women boss Emma Hayes has been heavily linked with taking over at AFC Wimbledon in the men’s game after a glittering run with the Women’s Super League team.

Hayes’s all-conquering side are unbeaten in 33 matches in the WSL and have another shot at silverware around the corner in the League Cup.