Chelsea are nearing an agreement to bring Joe Shields from Southampton to be their new Director of Recruitment, confirms Fabrizio Romano. This is part of Todd Boehly’s plan to change up the internal structure at the club.
Chelsea Nearing Agreement to Appoint Joe Shields as Recruitment Head
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
Chelsea Highly Rate Shields Ahead of Possible Appointment
The London side want to ensure that they are able to make smart, economically viable signings going forward. That also includes signing young players for cheap fees and then helping improve the long-term situation for the club. Romano adds that Chelsea are currently working hard in trying to close the agreement with Southampton, where the recruitment head is currently working in such a role.
Interestingly, Shields only joined the Saints earlier in the summer and had only been involved in one transfer window. He was quite actively involved in the entire process and was the one responsible for the signings of Romeo Lavia as well as promising young defender Armell Bella-Kotchap – two players who are already highly regarded in the Premier League.
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Chelsea will have to convince Southampton to let him leave. Shields is highly-rated in England for his ability to spot top-level talents at a very young age, something which the London giants want him to do for them going forward.
Shields Career in Recruitment Position Recapped
Before joining Southampton in the summer, Sheilds had quite a number of years in player development and also in a recruitment role. He was responsible for helping bring Jadon Sancho to Manchester City and help with his growth to make him ready for top-level competition.
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The Blues are probably making a move for Shields to help identify and bring the next Sancho or similarly quality young players to their club, without them having to shell out millions in fees. Todd Boehly seems very serious on ensuring Chelsea has the best future among any European giant, which is why they signed Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in the summer, and that’s why he’s pushing to bring in a cunning mastermind like Shields.
