Christopher Vivell, 36, previously worked at RB Leipzig where he was responsible for recruitment and scouting across all age groups; Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said Vivell would provide support for manager Graham Potter; Vivell succeeds Petr Cech, who left in the summer
Wednesday 21 December 2022 13:43, UK
Chelsea have appointed Christopher Vivell as the club's new technical director.
Vivell, 36, previously worked at RB Leipzig in his native Germany where he was responsible for recruitment and scouting across all age groups.
Vivell previously spent five years with Leipzig's sister club Red Bull Salzburg as head of scouting and recruitment, overseeing the signings of Erling Haaland and Karim Adeyemi during his time in Austria.
He had worked as first-team scout at Bundesliga club Hoffenheim before that.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said Vivell would provide support for manager Graham Potter.
Boehly said: "We are delighted that Christopher is taking up this important leadership role at the club.
"His work in Germany and Austria speaks for itself. We are confident he will continue on his impressive trajectory here at Chelsea.
"He will provide important support to Graham and the ownership group and play a vital part in advancing our overall vision for the club."
Vivell said: "Chelsea are building the most exciting project in global football and I'm extremely proud to be joining the club.
"There is so much potential for 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."
Vivell succeeds Petr Cech, the former Chelsea goalkeeper who left in the summer after three years in the role.
The Evening Standard's Nizaar Kinsella discusses Chelsea's appointment of Christopher Vivell as their new technical director and the changing approach the club are taking to scouting:
"It completes what Chelsea are trying to build, which is a transfer committee. In the summer, the owners did the transfers themselves. Now, they want expertise there. Christopher Vivell, he joins Joe Shields, who came from Southampton. Brighton staff, as well, have come alongside Graham Potter, and from Monaco they've got a guy called Laurence Stewart.
"So, all these guys are going to come together and be the new face of Chelsea transfers. I think the new owners will work alongside these people. Christopher Vivell is a huge part of that - he comes in as a technical director having done it at a brilliant project, the Red Bull project that oversees Leipzig and Saltsburg.
"The way Chelsea used to operate under Roman Abramovich is different to how they'll operate now. Chelsea want to grow, they want to be a multi-club model, a bit like Manchester City, a bit like Red Bull, a bit like Monaco. So they've hired these guys who have expertise doing that.
"Expect to hear in the future that Chelsea are trying to buy a club. They're trying in France, they're trying in Brazil and maybe some other markets - Portugal is another one.
"They want to build this network of clubs that's going to feed in the talent, they'll loan players there again as well. So you'll hear them buying a lot of players to go on loan or to play for these other clubs and maybe they'll come back to Chelsea in the future.
"Chelsea are being transformed here completely and that's what these guys are going to do. The other thing they want to do is be more data-driven, more progressive with their transfers. In the past, Chelsea have just done what Roman Abramovich want to do. In the future, I think it's going to be a more collaborative approach where they have so many sporting directors, directors who have expertise in data, modern scouting, modern techniques.
"In the end, Chelsea want to be competing up there with Manchester City, taking some of those Premier League titles off them."
