Just three months after joining the club, Southampton is outraged that they are about to lose their head of recruitment, Joe Shields, to Chelsea.
Shields joined Southampton only in July, but it is believed that he has agreed to move to west London, though the financial details of the deal are still being worked out.
Shields will have to take some time off, so he won’t be able to start working at Chelsea until close to Easter in 2019.
The Saints had worked diligently on a deal to bring Shields to St Mary’s this summer to oversee their recruitment efforts, and he wasted little time setting up deals, with Juan Larios, Sam Edozie, and Gavin Bazunu all coming in from City.
Romeo Lavia, whom Chelsea attempted to sign at the end of the window, was also the subject of a deal facilitated by Shields. According to reports, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy was particularly interested in the Lavia deal and has since moved to acquire Shields.
Shields’ departure has caused Southampton to express their “fury” and “upset,” according to insider sources close to the city. Rasmus Ankersen, the director of football at Southampton and a club co-owner, was instrumental in finding Shields and bringing him to the team.
Shields’ acquisition makes him the most recent piece of Chelsea’s recruitment jigsaw and will fill the position left vacant by Scott McLachlan.
Christopher Vivell, a highly regarded recruitment analyst, has been signed by Chelsea from RB Leipzig, and Kyle Macaulay and Graham Potter have just arrived from Brighton.
Chelsea is still looking for candidates as it continues its search for a new sporting director. Although Michael Edwards is still their top choice, they might still go with someone else because of his decision to step away from the sport.
