SAINTS head of recruitment Joe Shields has reportedly been told to stay away from St Mary’s and Staplewood Campus, according to a report by The Athletic.
The report details clearly that Shields has not been sacked nor has he resigned, after news broke of Chelsea’s approach to hire him as their new director of recruitment.
Under new ownership, a US-backed consortium with Todd Boehly the figurehead, Chelsea are looking to restructure the management of the club at senior level.
Shields, 35, only joined Saints just this summer from Manchester City – where he spearheaded the champions’ youth recruitment – and any move is at a very early stage.
Shields is yet to decide whether to accept Chelsea’s offer, but it is suggested Saints had not been informed about the discussion before seeing it in the media.
🚨 As per @FabrizioRomano, #SaintsFC head of recruitment Joe Shields is in talks over move to Chelsea.
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) October 12, 2022
Told it’s early stages and still a lot to work out but this is a huge blow for the club.
Expect Ralph Hasenhuttl to be asked about it on Friday but who knows what he can say.
Shields deleted his highly active Instagram account in the hours that followed Wenesday's initial report breaking.
The Athletic report now delves deeper into the details and identifies there had been no club-to-club contact between Chelsea and Saints as of Thursday lunchtime.
They add Shields has been told to stay away from the Saints stadium and training ground but there has been no wrongdoing, with staff contracts differing from those of a player.
As reported yesterday, Shields would likely have to serve a six-month leave notice before linking up with Blues – however, they report Saints would consider accepting compensation for early leave.
They insist a potential move is not related to his relationship with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, detailing the interaction between the pair has been limited with the window largely over by the time Shields joined in July.
Saints would be disappointed to lose Shields just three-and-a-half months into his tenure at the club, but there is an understanding of why he may choose to accept the offer – and the report also details an uplift in his salary should he accept.
Chelsea are reportedly also set to confirm the arrival of RB Leipzig’s Christopher Vivell as sporting director, amid the changes.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.
Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.
You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.
Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.
Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook
Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel
You must verify your phone number before you can comment.
Please enter your phone number below, and a verification code will be sent to you by text message.
Please enter the six-digit verification code sent to you by SMS.
Your verification code has been sent a second time to the mobile phone number you provided.
Your verification code has been sent a third time to the mobile phone number you provided.
You have requested your verification code too many times. Please try again later.
Didn’t receive a code? Send it againThe code you entered has not been recognised.
Please try again
You have failed to enter a correct code after three attempts.
Please try again later.
Your phone number has been verified.
Your phone number has been stored with your account details. We will never use it for anything other than verifying that you are the legitimate owner of this account.