Christopher Vivell receives long-awaited work permit for Chelsea technical director role — report

Chelsea were first linked with (now former) RB Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell back in late September, with the 35-year-old subsequently dismissed by the Bundesliga side about a week later.

We expected that to be followed quickly by an announcement from Chelsea, but over two months later, we’re still waiting for the move to finalize. Leipzig have already appointed a successor in Max Eberl, but Vivell continues to be searching for a way out of limbo, waiting for a train to come.

According to the Telegraph, that way out — or way in, as it were — has now been found, with Vivell receiving “clearance to work in England”. It’s unclear why this permit took so long to arrive, though the report does hint that it had at least as much to do with the logistics of the move and “the terms over his departure from Leipzig” as with any untoward post-Brexit bureaucratic wrinkles.

Either way, Vivell looks (finally) set to appointed as our new technical director, and just in time to get to work in the January transfer window as part of our new transfer “think tank”. Fire away!