Chelsea co-sporting director Laurence Stewart set to leave

Chelsea’s co-sporting director Laurence Stewart is set to leave the club, with no plans to appoint a direct replacement, according to Matt Law on Wednesday morning.

The change forms part of a move to streamline the football leadership structure, with the shift characterised in the reporting as a natural evolution rather than a short-term reaction. The report adds that the intention is to simplify decision-making at the top of the football department.

Stewart’s departure, if completed, would conclude the dual sporting-director arrangement and concentrate senior responsibilities under a slimmer hierarchy. That could mean recruitment, contracts and wider football operations are managed through a tighter leadership group rather than via a like-for-like successor.

No specific timeline for Stewart’s exit is set out in the reporting, and there has been no official confirmation from the club at this stage. The lack of plans for a direct replacement indicates Chelsea expect the existing structure to absorb duties in the near term.

While finer details of how responsibilities will be allocated remain to be clarified, the direction of travel points to a more consolidated model. Further updates are likely as the departure process advances and the club communicates how the streamlined set-up will function day to day.