Chelsea could lose the services of one of their longest-serving members of staff, the player-liaison officer Gary Staker, after a restructuring of their back-room team.

It is understood that Staker, who has been a Chelsea employee since being taken on as a translator to assist Gianluca Vialli, then the manager, in 1998 before becoming player-liaison officer after José Mourinho was appointed for the first time six years later, was told last week that the club want to move him away from the first team, creating doubts over his future.

Staker has been offered a role looking after the club’s ambassadors, who include the former players Carlo Cudicini, Tore Andre Flo and Paulo Ferreira, but has not yet accepted and may choose to end an association