Written by
Simon Austin
January 3, 2026
Former Chelsea Senior International Scout James Bell-Walker has joined Scottish champions Celtic in a senior scouting role.
The move follows the departure of Head of Scouting Jay Lefevre from Celtic to Championship side Swansea City in November. Bell-Walker worked for Chelsea for nine years up until October 2025, performing a number of different roles within their scouting department.
Initially he was their UK Regional Co-ordinator, before becoming a Positional Scout, first with central defenders and then central strikers. For 18 months he was also Regional Co-ordinator in South America, building a database of talent, networks and connections.
During his time in the latter role he was heavily involved in the scouting of Andrey Santos and Estêvão.
Prior to Chelsea, Bell-Walker was Head of Recruitment at Bolton Wanderers. His specialism is emerging talent and he has been directly involved in the scouting and recruitment of young players who have gone on to become full senior internationals and established Premier League players.
Announcing his move to Celtic on LinkedIn yesterday (January 2nd), he said: “New adventure starts today. Delighted to be joining Celtic, a huge club with huge ambitions.”
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