Chelsea to interview four contenders for key backroom role

Chelsea to interview for sporting director role next week with four names in contention

According to an exclusive in Mirror, Chelsea are going to step up their attempts to hire a sporting director by taking interviews next week with four names in contention for the role.

The Blues were closing in on appointing RB Salzburg Christoph Freund a few days ago, but the move did not go through with the Austrian keen to continue working with his current employers.

New co-owner Todd Boehly took up the interim responsibility since Petr Cech left his role as a technical and performance advisor in June. As a result of that, the former had to step in to complete player deals during the summer transfer window.

However, it has been revealed since the close of the transfer window that the club want to appoint a new sporting director before the World Cup. With the tournament just over a month away, the process of hiring needs to speed up. For that reason perhaps, interviews are going to be held next week to make a progress in that direction.

People in contention are Leeds United’s Victor Orta, former Leicester City and Celtic talent scout Lee Congerton, Sevilla’s Monchi and Rui Pedro Braz of Benfica.

The criteria set was that the club wants to hire a person who has experience in incorporating data in player scouting and recruitment. Analytics is the route Boelhy and co want to take, with manager Graham Potter having the final say.

The co-owner wants a candidate who can work closely with Potter and take charge of the football operations side of things for a more stable look for the club going forward.

More Chelsea News:

• AC Milan keen to keep Chelsea target Rafael Leao at the San Siro
• Jose Enrique urges Chelsea not to sell Armando Broja amidst AC Milan interest
• William Gallas slams Chelsea manager Graham Potter for using Raheem Sterling as a left wing-back

It would be interesting to see what happens in the next few days and weeks. The search for a sporting director may have gone for a number of days, but it is better to take time and reach the right destination, rather than wandering around aimlessly.