Bristol City appoint former Arsenal Technical Director as Sporting Director
Written by
Training Ground Guru
May 18, 2026
Bristol City have appointed former Arsenal Technical Director James Ellis as their new Sporting Director.
Chief Executive Charlie Boss confirmed the appointment in an open letter to supporters published today. Boss added that Ellis had already been actively advising on candidates for the vacant Head Coach role and had completed groundwork in identifying and meeting potential appointees.
Boss said that Ellis would oversee “coaching, recruitment, performance, medical and the Academy” from the start of 2026/27, while his focus would be “entirely” on the appointment of a new Head Coach and shaping transfer business before then.
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Ellis, 46, spent seven-and-a-half years as first-team scout at Östersunds FK in Sweden, working with Graham Potter and helping the club climb from the fourth tier to the top flight and European football.
He joined Arsenal from Fulham in July 2021 as UK first-team scout, was promoted to Head of Recruitment in March 2023 and became Technical Director in August 2025.
In the Technical Director role, his remit was to “deliver the club’s long-term player progression strategy,” overseeing analytics, player pathways and academy recruitment. He described the department on LinkedIn as one that “underpins the club’s sustainability and creates asset value for the external market through investment in the development of homegrown talent.”
Key work during his time at Arsenal included the signing of the Quintero twins (who turned down Real Madrid and Chelsea) and the retention of talents such as 16-year-old Max Dowman.
Ellis left Arsenal in February 2026 after a restructuring under Sporting Director Andrea Berta. Academy Manager Per Mertesacker had been moved to report directly to Berta rather than Ellis, narrowing the scope of his role.
Head Coach search and evolving football structure
Bristol City are still searching for a permanent successor to Roy Hodgson, the 78-year-old former England manager who was appointed interim Head Coach on 27 March following the departure of Gerhard Struber.
Hodgson, who also had a brief spell in charge of Bristol City in 1982, was brought in to steady the side for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign and help embed long-term standards. Boss confirmed in today’s letter that fans will be updated “as soon as we have news on our new Head Coach.”
Boss joined the club as Chief Executive in late February 2026. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the West Country, Boss brings senior commercial and operational experience from roles including Chief Executive of the Jockey Club, as well as senior positions at Southampton and Disney’s sports division.
Since arriving at Ashton Gate he has prioritised the creation of Premier League-standard structures across the football department.
In March 2026 Boss launched the search for a Sporting Director, describing it as an important step towards “engraining Premier League standards throughout the club.”
Club legend Brian Tinnion, who has spent nearly 30 years at Ashton Gate as player, manager and executive, previously held the title of Technical Director (appointed November 2022 after becoming Academy Director in October 2021).
His previous remit covered recruitment and player pathways. Under the revised structure Tinnion will now focus exclusively on the Academy pathway, with first-team responsibilities passing to Ellis.
In today’s letter Boss thanked fans for their strong season-ticket renewals, noting the club is “exceeding the pace of last season, when all Season Tickets sold out,” with more than 7,000 fans already members or registered.
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