Chelsea backroom shake-up as transfer chief set to leave

Chelsea co-sporting director Laurence Stewart is set to leave the club by mutual consent after four years, according to Standard Sport. Stewart's upcoming departure was finalized following amicable discussions with Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali. While his exit is not immediate and he will still attend games in the near future, the club currently has no plans to hire an external replacement.

Stewart joined Chelsea in October 2022 from Monaco before being named co-sporting director in February 2023. His previous responsibilities across squad planning and player negotiations have already been redistributed internally between Sam Jewell and Joe Shields.