Chelsea’s sporting director Laurence Stewart to LEAVE the club – as Blues undertake ‘evolution’ of leadership structure in post-Todd Boehly era
Chelsea sporting director Laurence Stewart is leaving the club by mutual consent.
Stewart has been with the Blues since joining from Monaco in 2022, and worked closely alongside Paul Winstanley, their other sporting director.
Per sources, it is insisted there has been no internal fallout, and that this is merely an ‘evolution’ of their sporting leadership structure.
Stewart does not yet have a departure date and so may still be seen by supporters at the odd game in the meantime, with Chelsea facing Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge this Saturday.
But Stewart, who had a contract until 2031, is set to depart with Chelsea’s blessing in what is the first significant change since Clearlake Capital took full control of the club.
Without Stewart, Winstanley will work closely with Joe Shields and Sam Jewell, while former Liverpool sporting director Dave Fallows is also a member of the leadership team.
Chelsea sporting director Laurence Stewart is leaving the club by mutual consent
Stewart (centre) pictured with co-sporting director Paul Winstanley (left) and Todd Boehly (right) after Chelsea won the Conference League in 2025
They all liaise closely with Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso and report to Behdad Eghbali, who is now the most powerful person at the club after Todd Boehly’s departure.
It is not believed there are any plans to seek a like-for-like replacement for Stewart, who is now on the lookout for other opportunities after four years with Chelsea.
Eghbali spoke at a conference earlier this year about needing to ‘tweak’ the model to progress.
Jewell and Shields primarily look after player recruitment and squad building.
Jewell’s role is a global one taking in their sister side Strasbourg. Shields also takes care of the academy. They will now help assume Stewart’s responsibilities, which included working with the data department.
Stewart’s CV also includes working as a technical director for Monaco, global head of scouting at Red Bull Soccer International, and as head of performance analysis at Manchester City.
He and Winstanley crossed paths when they were match analysts for Hull and Wigan respectively, roughly 20 years ago.
They then teamed up at Chelsea, with their greatest achievement arguably coming in the Club World Cup in 2025 when their side beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final.
