Todd Boehly faced few complications in getting his No 1 target when it came to hiring a new manager - but unlike Graham Potter, landing a sporting director is not proving quite so easy.
Chelsea suffered another blow in their search after first choice candidate Christoph Freund opted to stay at Red Bull Salzburg.
The Blues were hopeful after talks with the 45-year-old - who helped recruit stars including Sadio Mane and Erling Haaland to Salzburg - only for Freund to decide to stick it out with the Austrian champions, who held Chelsea to a draw in the Champions League last week.