Journalist Dean Jones has said that Victor Orta is now on the list of ‘strong contenders’ that Chelsea are eyeing to fulfil the vacant sporting director role at Stamford Bridge.
Co-owner Todd Boehly has held the reins on an interim basis ever since it was announced that Marina Granovskaia was leaving her position in June, but the Blues are looking to assign a permanent name to the role.
Fabrizio Romano revealed that Christoph Freund was one of the ‘main names’ being discussed by the club, but the Red Bull Salzburg director later confirmed that he would be staying put in Austria, having initially been open to a move to west London.
The Telegraph have reported that Orta has now been identified as one alternative, with the 43-year-old currently in a similar post at Elland Road with Leeds.
Chelsea considering Orta
Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that, although the Spaniard is in contention for the Chelsea gig, he is far from the only name under consideration by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
He said of Orta: “I’m told he is on their long list as they seek to make sure they get the right man involved to help implement the long-term strategy. There are still some other strong contenders.”
Could be a crucial appointment
With Boehly hinting (SALT, via talkSPORT) that he’s considering a multi-club model similar to that of the Red Bull group, finding the right candidate will be crucial to implementing his strategy.
It is thought that the American tycoon is aiming to have the position filled before the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, with manager Graham Potter also involved in the process of correctly identifying the most suitable candidate, so hopefully it shouldn’t be too long before an appointment is made.
However, it remains to be seen whether Orta – who former England goalkeeper described as ‘fantastic’ for his recruitment at Leeds, having overseen the signings of Mateusz Klich, Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford, Illan Meslier, Raphinha and Brenden Aaronson, among others – can be lured to Stamford Bridge from Yorkshire.
