Joe Shields has been appointed as Chelsea’s new co-director of recruitment and talent.
Shields was named co-director of recruitment and talent at Chelsea following the appointment of Laurence Stewart as technical director on Wednesday, 26th October. Shields will join after his contract with Southampton expires.
Since taking over Chelsea in the summer, owner Todd Boehly has sought to overhaul the club. He has brought in a slew of new faces to key positions, including replacing head coach Thomas Tuchel with Graham Potter just a few weeks into the season.
Boehly and Behdad Eghbali’s reaction
According to Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali on the Chelsea website: “Joe is another great addition to Chelsea, and we’re thrilled to have him on board. We have a clear plan and will adopt a modern and data-driven philosophy, focused on elite emerging talent. We’re assembling a deep and collaborative management team who are eager to build a continued sustained winner at Chelsea. Joe has a great track record and understanding of the game and emerging talent. We know we have another strong leader and a team player who will help us continue to build our world-class football organisation.”
The Blues are looking ahead with recent appointments aimed at helping the club move forward off the field, but duties on the field are not being neglected. Next up is a Premier League match against Potter’s former side Brighton, followed by a Champions League group stage match against Dinamo Zagreb the following week.