Official: Joe Shields joins Chelsea as Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent

Having confirmed the appointment of Laurence Stewart as technical director with a “global” focus yesterday, Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Joe Shields as Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent today.

Shields joins the budding new-look technical setup at the club, one tasked with recruiting and developing world-class footballing talent in the (hopefully) long-term.

Shields has vast experience especially in recruiting younger players. He was a member of the scouting departments at Crystal Palace and Fulham before spending nine years at Manchester City, where he became Head of Academy Recruitment and Talent Management. He will join the Blues once he fulfils his current “obligations” to Southampton.

“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.”

-Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali; Source: Chelsea FC

Welcome, Joe! Let’s recruit (and develop) some winners!