Former Portsmouth captain Ben Chorley quits role at arch-rivals Southampton
Former Pompey captain and defender Ben Chorley has stepped down from his high-power job at Southampton and owners Sport Republic
Former Pompey captain Ben Chorley has quit his job as Southampton.
The one-time defender, who spent 18 months at Fratton Park between 2014 -2015, has resigned from his position as Southampton and owners SportsRepublic’s UK head of scouting.
It’s a role the 43-year-old undertook in August 2025, after serving as Sport Republic’s sporting director since July 2023.
According to a statement issued via his Linkedin account, Chorley will take a short break before returing to football sometime during the 2026-27 season.
‘I’ll be leaving Southampton and Sport Republic at the end of June. It's the right time,’ he wrote.
‘Working within a multi-club model as Sporting Director in Europe, and leading the UK side at Southampton, has been a privilege.
‘The experiences - promotions and relegations across the clubs, being involved in hundreds of transfer transactions, and learning from high-level leaders in data, performance, finance, and process - have been invaluable’
Thanking those he worked with over the past 10 months, he added: ‘The UK team - Craig Bannister, Wade Elliott, and Ged Murphy — what a rewarding season.
‘It’s been a pleasure to manage you. I only wish we’d secured the Premier League promotion that was deserved.’
Southampton missed their opportunity to win promotion back to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs after they were expelled from the final for spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.
They will also begin next season in the Championship on minus-four points after admitting spying on three over teams last season.
Chorley’s decision to leave his role comes a week after that punishment was served. There is no suggestion, however, that he was involved in spygate.
Prior to his position at Pompey’s south coast rivals, the ex-centre-back was director of football at Swindon.
The former Arsenal defender made 31 appearances for the Blues after being recruited by Richie Barker in January 2014.
Yet following a solid start, his performances dipped and the ex-captain left in the summer of 2015, with incoming manager Paul Cook initiating an overhaul.
Chorley went on to spend three seasons at non-league Bromley, before retiring and turning his attention to working in football recruitment.