Chelsea are reportedly eyeing key backroom appointments, with Joe Shields and Stuart Webber being approached.
According to The Guardian, Chelsea are keen on bringing Southampton’s Joe Shields as their new recruitment chief and Norwich City’s Stuart Webber as the new sporting director. The new arrivals will mark the beginning of a new era at the west London club, who are poised to make significant changes at the executive level.
Chelsea have shown their mettle in the transfer market under their new ownership by bringing in key players during the window. The project earmarked by Todd Boehly is freshly underway, and the summer recruits are only the start of the new era at Stamford Bridge.
The west Londoners are eager to appoint a new head of recruitment, technical director, and sporting director. There are a few names on their wishlist, but three stand out as things stand. Southampton’s recruitment chief Joe Shields is the primary candidate for one of the roles, and Chelsea have already made inroads toward securing his services.
Shields only joined Southampton in July and has already made a significant mark. The executive spent nine years at Manchester City in their academy scouting and recruitment team. He has made tremendous progress, and by securing some key targets in the summer at Southampton, Shields caught the attention of Boehly.
Exclusive: Chelsea are closing in on the agreement with Southampton to appoint Joe Shields as new Director of Recruitment. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Huge statement by club owners as Shields is highly rated after his top work with Southampton and Man City, discovering many talents. pic.twitter.com/VV2TCd1zDn
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 12, 2022
Shields oversaw Southampton’s summer business, wherein the Saints recruited a host of players from Manchester City. Chief among them was 18-year-old defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia, who was arrived in a £10.5 million deal. Chelsea then reportedly tried to sign the player with a £50 million offer, which Southampton rejected.
Other recruits included former Manchester City teenage duo Juan Larios and Sam Edozie while bringing Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu to St. Mary’s. Chelsea were also impressed with Shields’s work in bringing centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap from VfL Bochum in Germany.
The defender has since been called up to the German national side and made his international debut last month. Shields will have to reportedly serve a said notice period at Southampton before taking over at Chelsea.
For the technical director role, Chelsea have earmarked former RB Leipzig man Christopher Vivell, who the Bundesliga giants recently sacked. Additionally, Norwich City’s Stuart Webber is considered the perfect candidate for the sporting director role, and talks are reportedly underway to find a solution.
Webber is vastly experienced in the role, having held posts at clubs like QPR, Huddersfield, Wolves, and Liverpool. He has done an admirable job at Norwich, but Chelsea would be an altogether different challenge for the executive.
Chelsea will aim to close these deals at the earliest and probably have their input ahead of next season. The Blues seem healthy for this term following the arrivals of numerous top-rated players and Graham Potter as their new manager.
