Chelsea Sporting Directors And Their Roles Explained

Chelsea are reshaping their football leadership structure, with Paul Winstanley, Sam Jewell and Joe Shields set to form the club’s day-to-day sporting leadership team following the impending departure of Laurence Stewart.

Stewart is leaving Chelsea by mutual consent and on good terms, with no plans for a direct replacement. The restructure reflects the growing responsibilities of Jewell and Shields, while also placing greater emphasis on Chelsea’s increasingly data-driven recruitment strategy.

Paul Winstanley – Transfer Negotiations and Football Operations

Winstanley will remain a central figure in Chelsea’s football operation. His responsibilities are understood to include transfer negotiations, contracts, squad planning and coordination with key departments, including medical, performance and player-support teams.

Since joining Chelsea from Brighton, Winstanley has been heavily involved in recruitment strategy and the club’s broader football planning. Chelsea previously described him and Stewart as overseeing the sporting department, including talent, scouting, recruitment and data.

Sam Jewell – Global Recruitment and Squad Building

Jewell’s influence has increased significantly under the new structure. His primary focus is player identification, recruitment and squad building, with an important role across Chelsea’s multi-club model.

He also works globally with Strasbourg, helping connect recruitment and squad-building strategies across the BlueCo network.

Joe Shields – Scouting, Talent and Player Pathways

Shields is another key figure in Chelsea’s recruitment operation. His responsibilities centre on scouting, talent identification and player development, including academy and player pathways.

His role is particularly important to Chelsea’s long-term strategy of identifying promising players and developing them into first-team options.

Dave Fallows – Advisory Role

Fallows will remain part of Chelsea’s football leadership structure but will operate in a more flexible advisory and consultancy capacity rather than holding a fixed day-to-day portfolio.

When he joined Chelsea in 2025, his remit included scouting and data, loans, player pathways and football-staff development.

A More Streamlined Chelsea Structure

The changes come as Chelsea work closely with manager Xabi Alonso, while further integrating data and analytics into recruitment and squad planning. The club's evolving model is designed to distribute responsibility while giving greater influence to Jewell and Shields.

With Stewart departing, Chelsea are opting against another senior sporting director, instead strengthening the existing structure around Winstanley, Jewell and Shields.