Chelsea confirm Joe Shields to join club from Southampton as co-director of recruitment & talent

• Chelsea appoint another member of board
• Shields joins Stewart in new look hierarchy
• Will focus on emerging talent

WHAT HAPPENED? Chelsea have appointed Shields as co-director of recruitment and talent following the appointment of Laurence Stewart as technical director on Wednesday. Shields will join once his obligations with Southampton are complete.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Owner Todd Boehly has looked to overhaul Chelsea since his takeover in the summer. He has appointed many new staff in key positions, including replacing head coach Thomas Tuchel with Graham Potter just weeks into the season.

WHAT THEY SAID: Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said to the Chelsea website: "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."

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THE VERDICT:

WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? The Blues are looking to the future with recent appointments aimed at helping the club move forward off the pitch, however, duties on the pitch aren't taking a back seat. A Premier League game against Potter's old club Brighton is next, while they are also due in Champions league group stage action against Dinamo Zagreb next week.