Todd Boehly’s latest recruit creates Cristiano Ronaldo transfer truth for Chelsea
Laurence Stewart has been appointed technical director at Chelsea, indicating a long-term transfer strategy at Stamford Bridge.
Laurence Stewart’s arrival marks a watershed point in Todd Boehley’s early days as Chelsea majority shareholder, as he now appears to have completed the backroom crew that will work to accomplish his long-term aspirations in West London.
The technical director arrives from current club Monaco, where he previously served as worldwide head of scouting for Red Bull Soccer International. The Brit was formerly the head of performance analysis at Manchester City and has a remarkable CV in the world of football.
He has worked within the Red Bull system as well as Manchester City, which is part of the larger City Football Group network, and is ideally positioned to help Chelsea achieve their aim of forming such a group for themselves.
At a recent SALT conference, Boehly acknowledged this intention, adding, “We’ve spoken about having a multi-club model.” I’d like to continue expanding the footprint. There are several nations where having a club has advantages. Red Bull does an excellent job. Manchester City has a large club network.
“Our objective is to provide routes for our future players to play on the Chelsea pitch while also providing them with meaningful game time.”
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That can only be done through another team in a very competitive European league.”
Stewart was reported to be in a ‘new role as technical director to focus on football internationally’ in the release. He will collaborate with fellow new technical director Christopher Vivell, who has also worked as part of the Red Bull system, to emulate the savvy recruiting that brought Chelsea target Christopher Nkunku to RB Leipzig.
Stewart stated upon his hiring, ‘I’m happy to be joining Chelsea and enthused about the club’s vision and direction under the new ownership group.’
I am pleased to join them in their efforts to create a world-class global athletic organisation capable of consistently winning on the field at the top levels while also providing player routes to assist develop our potential.
The appointment, along with Vivell’s, could also signal a departure from the model that saw the Blues linked with Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling, and Kalidou Koulibaly all joining as big names during the most recent transfer window with Boehly in charge.
Ronaldo has been mentioned as a possible target for Chelsea following his spat with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, which resulted in the Portugal forward being benched for last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Given Chelsea’s new regime’s objectives for a long-term transfer plan, a prospective move for the 38-year-old appears further away than ever.
