Chelsea co-sporting director Lawrence Stewart is set to leave the club by mutual agreement in the near future, with Paul Winstanley, Joe Shields and Sam Jewell expected to take over his sporting responsibilities.
According to Sky Sports, no fixed departure date has been established, but Stewart is expected to move on soon to pursue other opportunities. His exit is being presented as a change within Chelsea’s existing sporting structure rather than a complete overhaul of the club’s football operations.
Chelsea are not planning to appoint a direct replacement. Instead, Stewart’s duties will be distributed among Winstanley, Shields and Jewell, who will continue overseeing the club’s sporting operation in collaboration with manager Xabi Alonso and the ownership.
The arrangement places additional responsibility on the existing leadership team, which is tasked with recruitment, transfer negotiations, squad planning and the development of young players across the club’s wider football structure.
Winstanley’s responsibilities include negotiating transfers and player contracts, while Shields and Jewell have expanded roles in talent identification and recruitment. Shields also oversees Chelsea’s academy, while Jewell’s work extends across BlueCo, the ownership group’s multi-club operation, including French side Strasbourg.
Dave Fallows will also remain involved in a flexible advisory and consulting capacity, providing support where required.
Stewart joined Chelsea in 2022 as technical director following the club’s takeover and later became co-sporting director. His departure will therefore mark another change in the leadership structure established during the current ownership era.
Despite the impending exit, reports state that Stewart is leaving on excellent terms, with Chelsea wishing him well in his future career.
The immediate challenge for the club will be ensuring that the redistribution of responsibilities does not create uncertainty around decision-making, particularly in recruitment and long-term squad planning. With no like-for-like replacement expected, the existing executives will need to maintain clear roles while working closely with Alonso and the ownership.
Meanwhile, Chelsea continue to address other areas of the club’s development. The Blues have entered preliminary discussions with Elmbridge Borough Council over plans to upgrade their Cobham training ground in Surrey, although no formal planning application has been submitted.
The latest developments underline the ongoing evolution of Chelsea’s football operations, with changes to the sporting leadership taking place alongside discussions about modernising the club’s training facilities.
