"We are not in the situation where we fall into depression" – Ralph Hasenhuttl reacts to Southampton's Joe Shields closing in on joining Chelsea as head of recruitment

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has offered his opinion on Chelsea's pursuit of Joe Shields for the role of head of recruitment.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has been on a quest to revamp the club's recruitment team since the end of the summer transfer window. For most of the summer, Boehly acted as the interim sporting director after Marina Granovskaia's exit at the end of June.

According to The Guardian, the Blues are set to appoint Shields as their new head of recruitment. The west London outfit are also linked with former RB Leipzig man Christopher Vivell for the role of technical director. They are also in pursuit of a sporting director.

Exclusive: Chelsea are closing in on the agreement with Southampton to appoint Joe Shields as new Director of Recruitment. 🚨🔵 #CFC

Huge statement by club owners as Shields is highly rated after his top work with Southampton and Man City, discovering many talents. https://t.co/VV2TCd1zDn

During a press conference ahead of Southampton's Premier League trip to West Ham United on Sunday (October 16), Hasenhuttl was asked about the rumors involving Shields. He replied (via Daily Mail):

"It is not a big loss for this club, I think, because his impact in six weeks was not the biggest, so we are not in the situation where we fall into depression. He came in August and nearly all transfers had been done in this moment."

Hasenhuttl also hit out at Shields for opting to depart after just four months in the role of head of senior recruitment at St. Mary's. He added:

"He was not the person who brought in Romeo [Lavia], for example. For us, we would like to have people here longer for sure, but if he decides not to be here for longer, it is better he leaves immediately."

Shields joined the Saints in July this year after spending nine years in the scouting and recruitment department at Manchester City. He has also worked at Crystal Palace and Fulham earlier.

During the summer transfer window, Shields helped Hasenhuttl's side rope in nine new players for around £60 million. Armel Bella-Kotchap, Duje Caleta-Car, Gavin Bazunu, Romeo Lavia, and Sekou Mara are some of the new faces for the 17th-placed Premier League club.

More on Joe Shields, expected to join Chelsea in the next months 🔵 #CFC

▫️ Romeo Lavia, one of his signings at Southampton — Chelsea had £50m rejected for him;

▫️ Bella-Kotchap, also rated as top talent;

▫️ Juan Larios, Sam Edozie and huge work on top talents. https://t.co/nApKIDYnVU

Chelsea, on the other hand, also made nine additions to their squad this summer. The club signed the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella for over £270 million.

Chelsea establish contact with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jude Bellingham

According to BILD (via Caught Offside), Chelsea have established contact with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jude Bellingham next summer.

Bellingham, 19, has been heavily linked with a host of clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City as his stock continues to rise this season. He has scored four goals and laid out one assist in four UEFA Champions League matches in the ongoing campaign.

The Blues are eager to rope in a new midfielder, with both N'Golo Jante and Jorginho in the final year of their contracts.

Bellingham, who is rated in the region of £131.5 million, has emerged as their preferred option. Chelsea are prepared to break the bank to secure his signature.