Who Is Christopher Vivell? A Look Into Manchester United’s New Recruitment Specialist
Christopher Vivell has begun his role at Manchester United, according to The Athletic, and Vivell will help out with the club’s talent identification, and overall recruitment strategy. Additionally, his knowledge of working in a multi-club model could be helpful in the future. This is a position that United now find themselves needing with INEOS’ ownership of French side OGC Nice. However, at this time, the new recruit is only at the club on a temporary basis.
Vivell is provisionally set to provide his expertise for the summer window only, but it has been widely reported that the German could stay on longer if the window proves to be a success. This is already the eighth change that United has made behind the scenes. The likes of Jean-Claude Blanc, Sir David Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox, Christopher Vivell, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and René Hake have all now joined Manchester United.
So, let’s delve into the background and history of Vivell and why United have opted for the 37-year-old’s brains and expertise this summer.
Christopher Vivell: Humble Beginnings
It all started for Vivell in 2010, when he joined Hoffenheim’s youth team as a video analyst. He fulfilled that role for just less than a year and then transitioned into the second team. In this role, he became one of the team scouts but eventually stepped back to become their match analyst. He continued under this title until the summer of 2013.
The German then became part of the first-team setup at Hoffenheim, where he continued to be a match analyst but also did scouting on the side and did that up until 2015.
The Red Bull Model
The ever-expanding Red Bull model snatched up Vivell in the autumn of 2015, and RB Salzburg appointed the German as their head of scouting, a position he held for just under five years.
The now-temporary director of global talent at Manchester United was involved in the signings of Dominik Szoboszlai, Erling Haaland, Karim Adeyemi, Noah Okafor, and Benjamin Sesko during his time with the Austrian side.
The combined fees of the five players since leaving Salzburg reach a total of £215 million. With regular Champions League football, Salzburg became the centre for young players to succeed both domestically and on the European stage. Other clubs in Europe have adopted the level of scouting that Salzburg completed. Many other companies have used the multi-club model that Red Bull uses, and Vivell has contributed significantly to the Red Bull model’s ever-increasing success.
After an incredibly successful spell as Salzburg’s head scout, Vivell then jumped across the pond to RB Leipzig, where he began his first spell in his current profession: technical director. He took on this role in August 2020, where he spent two years and oversaw signings such as Josko Gvardiol and Mohamed Simakan. After two years in Germany, Vivell was again snapped up but this time in England, as he set his sights on south-west London.
Vivell was appointed as Chelsea’s technical director in December 2022 after completing a period of gardening leave from Leipzig. When Chelsea appointed Vivell, Chairman Todd Boehly said, “His work in Germany and Austria speaks for itself and we are confident he will continue on his impressive trajectory here at Chelsea.”
It was more of a challenge for Vivell at Chelsea, with disagreements and tension amongst Chelsea’s board members. Results on the pitch hampered Vivell’s progress behind-the-scenes, as the Blues finished the season in 12th and the summer of 2023 would prove to be the end for Vivell in England.
The former Salzburg scout was sacked after there appeared to be too much of a crowd behind-the-scenes at Chelsea with many different opinions clashing and too many employees doing similar roles, so Vivell was axed and has not been in work since his departure last summer.
Why Did United Bring Him In?
The arrival of the German signifies what United are looking to build and that seems to be a transfer committee. In the past at United, it has been amateurish the way that they have done summer windows and transfers in general. This new committee will provide expertise and know-how on what to do in the transfer market and provide the professionalism that United have been lacking in recent times.
It has been reported by the Athletic that Vivell will report to newly appointed sporting director Dan Ashworth.
According to reports, Vivell’s official title at the club will be Director of Global Talent and will provide assistance to the club’s overall recruitment strategy, which is something that has not been seen at the club prior. Something that has been widely criticised during Erik ten Hag’s reign at United is the overall talent identification. Many of the signings have been players that the Dutchman has worked with before.
What people will be hoping for is that Vivell and the other transfer committee members provide signings that improve the team and are not just signings in terms of familiarity with the United manager.
Vivell reportedly started work at the club on Thursday morning and will be continuing his role with the club until the end of the summer transfer window. There is a chance his time at Old Trafford becomes permanent, but at the moment, this is only a temporary appointment.
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