Ralph Hasenhuttl says head of recruitment Joe Shields’ exit after three months is ‘NOT a big loss’
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Ralph Hasenhuttl claims the departure of Joe Shields, the head of recruitment, after just three months is ‘NOT a big loss’ – and insists his impact was ‘not the biggest’ as he is about to leave Southampton for Todd Boehly’s Chelsea Revolution
- Ralph Hasenhuttl says Joe Shields’ Chelsea exit is not a ‘big loss’ for Southampton
- Shields is credited with many of the Saints’ good summer recruits
- But the Austrian claimed Shields didn’t have a huge impact at the club
- He joined Southampton in July and spent less than four months out
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Ralph Hasenhuttl’s confirmation that Joe Shileds has left Southampton for Premier League rivals Chelsea came with a particularly tantalizing message.
There has been much speculation about Shields’ move to West London, with the former Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester City man taking on much of the Saints’ stellar recruiting over the summer.
However, Hasenhuttl has refuted all claims that Shields’ “impact” was felt at St. Mary’s, as the Austrian makes a seemingly bitter statement.
Ralph Hasenhuttl claimed Joe Shield’s not had the ‘biggest’ impact in Southampton
According to Ben JacobsThe Southampton boss said: ‘He came in August and left in October.
“It’s not a big loss for this club because the impact he had in the six weeks wasn’t the biggest.
“We’re not in a situation where we get depressed.”
He took over as Head of Recruitment at St Mary’s in July less than four months ago
Although the South Coast club ranked 17th in the league, they were hailed after yet another window in which they appear to have unearthed young stars.
The Saints looted City – Shields’s former employers – for starlets Romeo Lavia, 18, Samuell Edozie, 19, Juan Larios, 18, and Gavin Bazunu, 20.
Fellow summer signings Joe Aribo, Sekou Mara and Armel Bella-Katchap have also received praise for the club following their seemingly seamless transition to Premier League life.
Shields (center) spent many years at Man City academy before joining the Saints
Lavia, Mara and Balla-Kochap were particularly impressive for the Saints, although Hasenhuttl was quick to claim that not all of the club’s purchases came through Shields.
And he’s right, because Lavia and Bazunu arrive for Shields’ official appointment, and Aribo arrives after just one day.
‘He [Shields] was not the person who brought Romeo [Lavia] in,’ said Hasenhuttl. “We’d like to have people here longer, but it’s better that he leaves immediately.”
New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wants to reform the Blues recruiting program