Chelsea are set to appoint Joe Shields as their new head of recruitment from Southampton. The deal is going to take a few months, and is currently progressing positively.
Shields is one of the top rated names in his position, due to his work not only with Southampton but also Manchester City. He joined the Saints only three months ago, and the club is not very happy with the way things are developing as of right now.
Joe Shields to become Chelsea’s new head of recruitment
He is responsible for signing the likes of Juan Larios, Sam Edozie and Gavin Bazunu at Southampton. Bazunu in particular has been quite impressive during his time at the club. Moreover, Bella-Kotchap and Romeo Lavia were also his signings with the club.
Chelsea tried to sign Lavia this summer for a sum of around £50 million. However, the Saints did not sanction the transfer of the player, with him joining only a short while ago.
Joe Shields will have to serve a period of gardening leave when he agrees his exit with his current employers. Which means that he won’t be able to start at Chelsea until Easter next year.
The Blues have also secured the services of Christopher Vivell from RB Leipzig as their new sporting director – which will complete a full restructure of the club under the new regime.