Chelsea ‘to appoint ex-Man City super scout as new director of recruitment’
Chelsea are poised to name ex-Manchester City super scout Joe Shields as their new director of recruitment.
The Blues have been prowling for a replacement to fill the huge void left at the club by ex-transfer guru Marina Granovskaia. The Russian left Chelsea along with fellow high ranking personnel Bruce Buck and Petr Cech, after Roman Abramovich sold the club to Todd Boehly amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
And Boehly's intent on rebuilding Chelsea's transfer strategy and identity going forward. The American showed he meant business when he sacked fan favourite and former boss Thomas Tuchel, whose been linked with the England job, for failing to conform to his future vision for the West London outfit.
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The American signed a slew of new players in the summer including Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. And according to Fabrizio Romanom, he now plans to add prolific scout Shields to the club's books in a bid to boost the club's transfer acumen.
Shields built his name at City's academy, and has been credited for discovering the likes of Jadon Sancho and Romeo Lavia. But the 35-year-old moved to Southampton to become their Head of Senior Recruitment in June after nine years at the Etihad.
He also gained experience during stints at Crystal Palace and Fulham where he occupied similar roles. However, shrewd businessman Boehly is reportedly attempting to poach Shields from their Premier League counterparts – in a coup that hasn't gone done well at St.Mary's Stadium.
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Which is why although the deal is near completion, Southampton are said to be unwilling to let Shields go before the end of his six-month notice period. This means he won't be heading to Stamford Bridge for another year and a half if Southampton don't change their stance.
Chelsea's approach for Shields comes just days after they were heavily linked with ex-RB Leipzig director Chris Vivell. The club's negotiations with Vivell seemingly led to Leipzig's swift dismissal of the technical director which they put down to a breakdown of trust.
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