Done Deal: Chelsea To Unveil New Sport Director

According to transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea and Red Bull Salzburg are close to finalizing a deal for the employment of Christoph Freund as their new sporting director.

Todd Boehly, a co-owner of Chelsea, has been looking for a new sporting director ever since the summer transfer window closed. After Marina Granovskaia left the Blues at the end of June, Boehly served as an interim player for the team for the majority of the summer.

The Blues fired Thomas Tuchel earlier this month and replaced him with Graham Potter, the former manager of Brighton & Hove Albion. Potter signed a five-year contract with the Stamford Bridge team and was the top candidate for the position.

Romano announced on Twitter that the Blues and Freund are about to reach a personal agreement. Freund will collaborate closely with Potter to make decisions regarding new additions during the winter transfer window. Romano penned:

“The new director, Christoph Freund, and Chelsea are now poised to agree on personal terms. There are ongoing negotiations with Salzburg to sign it quickly. Freund is the brains, information, and talent behind high-profile deals like (Erling) Haaland, (Sadio) Mane, (Naby) Keita, and (Dayot) Upamecano. He will collaborate with Potter.”

Freund earlier this week acknowledged communication with the west London team. He stated, according to Daily Mail and Sky Sports Austria:

“In football, you should never rule anything out, because Chelsea is such a significant organization. I’ve occasionally communicated with them. They were interested in (Benjamin) Sesko, so we spoke to them more frequently a month or two ago.”

Added him:

“The way we handle developing players and incorporate them into the first squad is something the new owners are curious about. But that’s all you do with other clubs—you just keep doing that.”

This summer, the Blues added nine players to their roster. For a total of more than £270 million, they acquired players including Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, and Marc Cucurella.

The Premier League matchup between Chelsea and Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace is scheduled for October 1 at Selhurst Park.

Chelsea plans to trade Moises Caicedo

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are eager to reunite Graham Potter with Brighton & Hove Albion player Moises Caicedo in January.

Three years remain on Caicedo’s Amex deal. This season, he has started each of his team’s six Premier League games, scoring in the 5-2 victory over Leicester City.