Chelsea news: Sporting Director Laurence Stewart to leave
Chelsea sporting director Laurence Stewart is set to leave the club by mutual consent as part of a restructuring of the recruitment model. The club is shifting its internal operations under the guidance of manager Xabi Alonso.
Why it matters
The departure signals a significant shift in Chelsea's management strategy and recruitment philosophy under its current ownership.
Image source, Getty Images By Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter Published 7 October 2026, 09:13 BST Chelsea sporting director Laurence Stewart is set to leave the club by mutual consent in the near future.
The 40-year-old leaves on excellent terms to pursue other opportunities in a move that is internally seen as related to the "tweak of the (recruitment) model" that influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali spoke about at the end of last season.
Stewart has spent nearly four years at Chelsea under the BlueCo ownership, but many of his responsibilities will be absorbed into the roles of Joe Shields and Sam Jewell.
Shields and Jewell work closely with influential sporting director Paul Winstanley on player identification, negotiations and squad planning.
Winstanley also oversees a host of other areas, including medical, player support and other internal operations.
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