The west London club’s new owners have been looking to overhaul their recruitment team ever since completing their purchase earlier this year, with the departures of Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech – among others – leaving a massive void.
Chelsea have been working on a deal to sign ex-RB Leipzig chief Vivell since the end of September, with the German released from his contract with the Bundesliga side on October 7.
At the time, Vivell’s departure was blamed on ‘different, contrasting views’ with the rest of Leipzig’s hierarchy, though he had already held talks with Chelsea about a move to Stamford Bridge.
According to Sky Sports Germany, a deal is now finally on the verge of completion with all documents having been signed while Vivell has already received his work visa.
The 36-year-old has been handed a long-term contract and will head up Chelsea’s new-look recruitment team, though the club still want to bring in a new sporting director too.
They had been heavily linked with Vivell’s Leipzig colleague Christoph Freund, though both he and former Liverpool recruitment chief Michael Edwards have turned down the role.
The sporting director will have a broader remit and sit above the football structure – acting as a bridge to the ownership and overseeing other areas, such as the academy – while Vivell will have a more specific focus on recruitment.
He is one of a number of new additions made in that department in recent months and will have four others working under him, with his own focus being on data and scouting.
Joe Shields was recently brought in as co-director of recruitment, while Paul Winstanley joined the club from Brighton last month in a new role as director of global talent and transfers.
Laurence Stewart, who was at Monaco, has been given a focus on global football, while Kyle Macaulay works more closely with manager Graham Potter and swapped the south coast for Stamford Bridge at the same time.
Co-owner Todd Boehly has been eager to add Vivell’s expertise to the club and both he and Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali have made it a priority to create a top-class executive team to run things behind the scenes.
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