Matt Ritchie has been appointed Bournemouth technical director, taking over from Simon Francis after an agreement with Reading brought the 36-year-old back to the south coast. The move puts a former Bournemouth player into a role that covers recruitment, player pathways, squad planning and overall football strategy.
Bournemouth and Tiago Pinto
Bournemouth wanted a former player working alongside sporting director Tiago Pinto, and Ritchie fits that brief with his club history and recent academy link. He had been working towards his coaching A Licence in Bournemouth’s academy before this step into football operations.
The club’s decision also reflects an existing relationship between Ritchie and Pinto. That connection now carries into a senior role where the job is broader than one squad list or one transfer window.
Ritchie’s Bournemouth record
Ritchie made 142 appearances for Bournemouth and scored 31 goals, giving him a clear line of club experience before moving into the back-room structure. He has also been part of Champions League squads at other clubs and has represented Scotland at international level.
Those details matter inside a football department because the role is not limited to one age group or one market. Recruitment, pathways and squad planning all sit under the same title, and Bournemouth have placed a former player in the middle of that process.
Simon Francis departs
Francis’s departure to Saudi Arabia had been expected, and Ritchie now steps into the vacancy left behind. Bournemouth’s change keeps the club’s football operations tied to someone who knows the environment from both the pitch and the academy side.
For supporters, the practical change is straightforward: Bournemouth have shifted a key decision-making job to a former player who already knows the club, while the sporting side now runs through a role built around squad structure, long-term planning and the people already inside the system.
