SAINTS manager Ralph Hasenhuttl was brutally honest on the departure of head of recruitment Joe Shields and claimed it is “not a big loss for the club because his impact was not the biggest”.

Shields only arrived at Saints from Manchester City this summer, with the club giving the former youth recruiter his first big role in senior football.

The 35-year-old however is set to depart for Chelsea after being approached by the London club to be their director of recruitment, following the takeover by US businessman Todd Boehly.

Hasenhuttl insisted although not ideal, it is not a huge loss to the club and revealed Shields did not even arrange the Romeo Lavia transfer for which he had been credited.

“As clear as I can see he came in August and is leaving in October, for us it absolutely not the perfect situation,” the Austrian did admit.

“For him, I don’t know. Sometimes people get driven by new chances and we see this here as more of a long-term project and if someone wants to leave in the short-term, maybe he has his reasons to do this.

“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,” Hasenhuttl added.

“As I told you he came in August and nearly all transfers had been done in this moment, 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’s better he leaves immediately.”

It is suggested Saints were not informed of the approach made to Shields before it broke in the press, with the Daily Echo confirming initial reports by Fabrizio Romano.

Shields is credited with the signings of Man City youngsters Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios, and Arsenal loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who joined the club on deadline day.

Asked if the Shields situation had been an unnecessary distraction ahead of Saints hosting West Ham United in a crucial Premier League game on Sunday, Hasenhuttl added: “Not for me.

“I don’t have a lot of contact with him or touch with him because the transfer window is over and it is not the moment to speak about transfers until next January.” 

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