Scott McLachlan has left his role as Chelsea's head of international recruitment after 11 years.
McLachlan is departing for a new challenge and set to take on a high-level role elsewhere in football after a period of gardening leave.
He had decided to move on before Chelsea's ownership issues and takeover though stayed on to help the club's new owners through the initial transition period following their purchase and their first transfer window. The sanctions placed on Chelsea also delayed his exit.
Before joining Chelsea in 2011, McLachlan had worked as a technical scout at Fulham and also been a performance analysis at Southampton.
McLachlan is the latest pivotal member of Chelsea's recruitment process to leave since the club's Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital after director Marina Granovskaia and technical performance advisor Petr Cech.