Ex-Chelsea man names behind-the-scenes figure who was key to game-changing transfer | OneFootball

Former Chelsea left-back Ryan Bertrand has heaped praise onto Joe Shields for his work as a director at Stamford Bridge and the influence he had with the signing of Cole Palmer.

The England international has been a revelation since joining Chelsea from Manchester City last year, performing better than anyone could have possibly expected, and Bertrand has discussed the key role Shields played in that deal.

In general, Bertrand believes Chelsea’s new owners have done a superb job with recruitment, and in particular in hiring people like Shields to identify and recruit the best talent.

Palmer has been their biggest success story, with Bertrand pointing out that Shields previously worked at Man City, so knew the player better than most.

Cole Palmer in action for Chelsea (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Cole Palmer transfer praised by former Chelsea man

Bertrand, speaking at the launch of Ladbrokes’ “Gaffer of all Accas”, said: “First and foremost, when it comes to Cole, you’ve got to recognise that one thing Chelsea have done under this new ownership, is they’ve hired fantastically well in the director roles – and a guy called Joe Shields has got to take a lot of credit… he’s the director of talent at Chelsea, and he’s brought in some amazing players… Cole being one of them.

“He worked with him at Manchester City, so knew him inside out. People knew he was a good player, because he was at City, but not many people knew just how good he could be. Joe backed himself and requested to bring Cole in, and in doing so, he’s brought in the best player in the Premier League right now.”

Chelsea fans will be delighted that Shields helped them sign Palmer and they’ll no doubt hope he can work his magic again in the near future to eventually get this club back to where it’s used to being.