Chelsea supporters are starting to turn on the club’s two sporting directors again.
Since Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart took over the Blues’ recruitment, fans have been very critical of the duo.
After Chelsea‘s fantastic start to the season, things calmed down a bit. However, a run of just two wins in their last eight Premier League games, an underwhelming January transfer window and elimination from the FA Cup have seen supporters become angry with Winstanley and Stewart again.
Considering all of the money that the club have spent and where Enzo Maresca‘s team currently are, they have every right to be. Chelsea looked at other sporting directors before Winstanley and Stewart’s arrivals, and some of them were much better candidates than the pair.
Chelsea considered Paul Mitchell
One name that Chelsea considered for the sporting director position following their takeover was Paul Mitchell.
According to The Guardian, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali thought about hiring Mitchell, but in the end it was Winstanley and Stewart who got the gig.
Mitchell, who is now Newcastle United’s sporting director, has good experience after working at Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, RB Leipzig and AS Monaco.
The above is not to say that Winstanley and Stewart do not, with the latter having also worked at Leipzig and Monaco. But Mitchell has a very impressive track record when it comes to recruitment.
Paul Mitchell’s signings
Mitchell has been credited for some of the best signings that both Tottenham and Southampton have made in the Premier League era.
For example, Mitchell is thought to be responsible for bringing the likes of Son Heung-min and Sadio Mane to Spurs and the Saints respectively.
Winstanley and Stewart are yet to make a signing of that calibre. Of course, Cole Palmer arrived at Chelsea from Manchester City in 2023 and is now one of the best players in the top flight, but co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields is believed to be the figure who was behind that move.
Shields is now pushing for Chelsea to sign Liam Delap and after the success of Palmer, he will have Blues fans’ backing. The same cannot be said about Winstanley and Stewart, though, who never should have been hired ahead of someone like Mitchell.
