Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Christopher Vivell as the club's new technical director ending Todd Boehly's long search to fill the role. football.london understood that Vivell joining Chelsea had been in place since October, but the formalities preventing an announcement have now been cleared, with the 36-year-old confirmed in his new role just a few weeks before the January transfer window opens.
He is the latest appointment to a recruitment team that has already seen Joe Shields, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart announced since Boehly completed his takeover. Vivell spoke glowingly of the project that the Blues are developing upon his appointment.
The said: "Chelsea are building the most exciting project in global football and I'm extremely proud to be joining the club to continue to succeed, develop and grow. Under the new ownership, Graham Potter and the broader sporting team, there is a clear and sustainable philosophy underpinned by performance analysis, data and innovation and I am looking forward to playing a part in that."
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Vivell left his previous role as recruitment chief at RB Leipzig due to "differences of opinion". In a club statement on his exit. Leipzig said: "Christopher Vivell was dismissed from his position as technical director yesterday (Thursday, October 6) with immediate effect due to differences of opinion. The 35-year-old's duties will be carried out by the current set-up, until Max Eberl takes over as the new managing director of sport."
Vivell was appointed as technical director at Leipzig in the summer of 2020 after impressing in several different roles at Salzburg. However, he spent five years at Hoffenheim before joining the Austrian club.
The German started as a video analyst for the club's youth team before climbing his way up the ladder into a first-team role. His final job at the club was as a scout, although he had also been a match analyst.
His move to Salzburg came in November 2015, where he was the head of scouting and worked closely with Freund. During his time as head of scouting, Salzburg signed the likes of Patson Daka, Erling Haaland and Karim Adeyemi - all players were signed for a snip of what they were eventually sold for.
Following his impressive work at Salzburg, Vivell moved up in the Red Bull food chain, joining Leipzig in 2020, where he was responsible for the 'strategic direction of squad planning in line with an overarching transfer philosophy'. The recruitment during his time at the club was largely impressive - with the likes of Chelsea-linked Josko Gvardiol, Andre Silva and Angelino joining. He was also responsible for the 'development and maintenance of the global RB footballing philosophy.'
Vivell was trusted with a number of responsibilities at Leipzig and impressed enough in his role at Salzburg to earn a promotion to the German club. Boehly appears to have his man to fill the sporting director vacancy, and Vivell's appointment is unlikely to be the last appointment as part of a restructuring of Chelsea's recruitment team.
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