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Chelsea co-sporting director Laurence Stewart is set to leave the club in what is described as a ‘natural evolution’ of the football leadership team.
Stewart joined Chelsea in 2022 initially as a technical director before eventually being made co-sporting director alongside Paul Winstanley, who will now work alongside recruitment chiefs Sam Jewell and Joe Shields to lead the day-to-day operations.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea sources have insisted there is no falling out between the directors and that Stewart’s departure is a ‘mutual decision’ that he and the club have been naturally moving towards, with ‘goodwill, gratitude and respect’ remaining on both sides.
Winstanley, Jewell and Shields will work closely with manager Xabi Alonso, while reporting to co-owners Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, and there are no plans to appoint a like-for-like replacement for Stewart.
The change is also seen as a reflection of the increased influence of Jewell and Shields, whose primary responsibilities focus on recruitment, player identification and squad building.
Jewell also works globally across the BlueCo affiliate Strasbourg, while Shields oversees academy and player pathways at Stamford Bridge, and the duo will continue to work closely with Winstanley, who is chiefly responsible for the delivery of transfer targets.
Chelsea make director shakeup after Alonso appointment
Stewart’s departure will be the first big change within Chelsea’s football structure since Clearlake Capital took full control after previous co-owner Todd Boehly sold his stake in the club last month.
Having joined from Monaco almost four years ago, Stewart’s primary role at Chelsea revolved around budget planning, style of play and football philosophy but the club’s decline on the pitch had led to a desire to change the structure of their executives, with fans also protesting the leadership of the directors.
Chelsea had rewarded Stewart with a new contract last year until 2031 but the 40-year-old will leave five years early as part of the vision by Eghbali, which was outlined in April.
Eghbali spoke of the need to ‘tweak a model’ after a flurry of managerial appointments, with Alonso having more power over transfers than any other coach under the BlueCo regime.
Stewart is not thought to have another job lined up and will be welcome to attend matches at Stamford Bridge until he takes up a role elsewhere or decides otherwise.
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