Chelsea have appointed former RB Leipzig executive Christopher Vivell as the club’s new technical director.
They had been looking to fill the role since Petr Cech departed the club in the summer.
Vivell, 35, left former club RB Leipzig in October due to “differences of opinion.” He had held his role with the Bundesliga side since 2020 and previously worked at RB Salzburg.
He will start work at Stamford Bridge immediately.
Following his appointment, 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.”
Todd Boehly, Chelsea chairman, and Behdad Eghbali, co-controlling owner, 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.”
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Boehly had been acting as Chelsea’s interim sporting director throughout the summer and played a key role in signing eight players during the transfer window.
Chelsea originally held an interest in recruiting the sporting director from Red Bull Salzburg, Christoph Freund, who had emerged as the favourite to fill the sporting director vacancy at Chelsea.
Although he initially refused to rule out a move, he later confirmed he would be staying with the Austrian club.
Vivell has been an integral part of the Red Bull football group’s successful recruitment network since joining RB Salzburg as Head Scout in 2015.
A sports science graduate of Karlsruhe’s Institute of Technology and former analytics coordinator at TSG Hoffenheim, Vivell was promoted to Head of Scouting in Austria before joining Leipzig as technical director in August 2020.
His main focus there has been on long-term squad planning in line with the club’s footballing principles.