Fabrizio Romano: Chelsea reach agreement on Personal Terms to sign Christoph Freund

Chelsea is set to finalize an agreement with Christoph Freund, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Sporting Director has been described as a “mastermind” by the Evening Standard, having completed transfers for players such as Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, and Dayot Upamecano.

Chelsea has reached an agreement with Christoph Freund.
Why is Chelsea now hiring a new Sporting Director?

Chelsea is considering signing a new Sporting Director after the recent hiring of new manager Graham Potter. A significant part of Potter’s success was his work in the transfer market at Brighton and Hove Albion, so this move for one of the highest regarded transfer moguls in world football ensures that he has the same level of support at Stamford Bridge.

Excl: Chelsea are now set to reach agreement on personal terms with Christoph Freund as new director. Talks on with Salzburg to get it signed soon 🚨🔵 #CFC

Freund, man behind top deals like Haaland, Mané, Keita, Upamecano — ideas, data, talents. He’ll work together with Potter. pic.twitter.com/Kb2mfOnFFM

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 18, 2022

A new transfer expert was a necessity at the club anyway, as Roman Abramovich’s team moved on from the club over the summer. This summer’s lack of guidance has been evident, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed for his time playing under Thomas Tuchel, only for the manager to be removed from his role days later.

Chelsea’s current transfer strategy seems to be one of signing young players with the potential to be the best in the world. Freund is the perfect choice for this policy, as his time in the Red Bull stable of clubs was suited to doing just that. This included finding incredible talent, including Erling Haaland (currently tearing up the Premier League), before securing their signatures and supporting their development.

With the Blues’ incredibly high budgets, Freund is likely to have an even bigger impact in London than he could ever have in his position at RB Salzburg.

When Can Christoph Freund Make an Impact?

In theory, Freund’s impact could be instantaneous. With a World Cup taking place immediately before the window opens, there is plenty of opportunity for negotiating with players that aren’t in Qatar, and those playing for their countries are more separated from their clubs. Expect plenty of rumors to fly around during the World Cup as savvy transfer experts start lining up moves for the January window.