Chelsea have appointed Joe Shields as the Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent. The Blues have swooped in for him just a few months after Southampton brought him in from Man City.
The Saints instructed Shields to 'stay away' from Saint Mary's stadium and their training ground soon after they learnt he had been speaking to Chelsea about a possible move.
So why is Shields so sought-after, that he's had 3 different employers in the space of just a few months? We tell you that.
Career trajectory
Shields started working as a youth scout for Crystal Palace back in 2008 and worked for them for two years. He moved to Fulham after that in a lateral career move. His first promotion came when his previous club offered him the role of assistant head of youth recruitment.
After working for two more years at Palace, he was noticed by Manchester City in 2013. His role was going to be a step down in terms of his position in the hierarchy but the allure of working at a project as big as City's convinced him to join them as their Southern Academy scouting manager.
He rose through the ranks at City for 9 years before finally being poached by Southampton this summer. In the brief period he spent at the club he helped them sign Romeo Lavia from City. Chelsea had reportedly submitted a £50 million bid for Lavia on deadline day as well.
All the clubs Shields has worked at
Players developed under him
One of Joe Shields’ big projects during his time at Man City was Jadon Sancho. The winger rose through the ranks at City before moving to Dortmund and eventually Man United for a reported fee of €85 million.
He also identified Crystal Palace starlet Michael Olise back in 2016 and brought him from Chelsea to City.
Liam Delap, son of Stoke City's long throw specialist Rory Delap, was also scouted by Shields. The 19-year-old scored 24 goals in 20 games for City in Premier League 2 in 2020/21 and 8 goals in 10 games in the following season.
If in the near future you hear more and more about the likes of Jayden Braaf, Gavin Bazunu, Juan Larios and Samuel Edozie, don’t be surprised to find out they were discovered by Joe Shields.
What does Shields bring to Chelsea?
Shields is only 35 years old but is considered one of the best talent-spotters in the field already.
Having worked from the bottom-up in terms of scouting, he has a vast network of contacts across youth-level football in England.
Other intermediaries view him as one of the most knowledgeable and well-respected individuals.
Shields also has very good relations with young players and their families. He is a part owner and director of Lambeth Tigers, a grassroots club for players aged between 6 and 16 years.
At Chelsea, his involvement with other intermediaries is expected to be less direct. Instead, he will be advising Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali over matters of recruitment.
Shields’ place in Chelsea’s new hierarchy
