Christoph Freund has released a statement confirming that he is not joining Chelsea
According to Football.London, Christoph Freund has released a statement confirming that he is staying put at RB Salzburg as the sporting director despite interest and talks with Chelsea.
The Blues opened talks with the 45-year-old last month with an intention to appoint him as the club’s new sporting director. The position was empty throughout the summer, with co-owner Todd Boehly having to step in as an interim.
There were productive discussions last week after Freund visited Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play Salzburg in the Champions League. It was also reported that the west London club are expecting the arrival of the Austrian any time in the next few days to sign the contract. However, nothing was agreed with the Austrian league champions.
In a statement to confirm his stay at Salzburg, here’s Freund (h/t Football.London):
“As I have already confirmed in interviews, Chelsea FC was interested in me.
When such a big club asks, it not only honors me and the work of FC Red Bull Salzburg, it is of course also a circumstance that entails personal considerations. But I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m in the best of hands with FC Red Bull Salzburg and that a change is out of the question for me.”
The 45-year-old is now focused on everything related to Salzburg, with important games, including the home game against Chelsea in the Champions League, coming up after the international break before the World Cup.
For the Blues, the search for a new sporting director continues. They have set out precedence that the appointed director needs to have a background in implementing data in scouting and recruitment of players.
Former Liverpool director of football Michael Edwards, who left his role at Anfield this summer, is one of the few people linked with this role. He, however, turned down an offer from Chelsea last month because he wanted to take a sabbatical from the game after an intense period of work in Merseyside.
More Chelsea News:
- Benjamin Pavard considered leaving Bayern Munich amid interest from Chelsea
- Chelsea are interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz
- Christoph Freund appointment could help Chelsea in signing Benjamin Sesko in the future
Bayer Leverkusen’s Tim Steidten was also in consideration at the time when Freund was the leading target. It would now be interesting to see where Boehly and his team turn in order to get this appointment done before the World Cup, as per the plans.