Chris Badlan joined Norwich as Head of European Scouting on 31st May 2017 after weeks of speculation. He had worked with Norwich's Sporting Director Stuart Webber at Wolves where he had been Head of Emerging Talent and Technical Recruitment Officer..

On 5th May 2018, it was reported that Chris had left Norwich to join Coventry as their Head of Recruitment. He has been a pivotal figure in their rise back to the second tier, where they have been praised for signing talents like Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres. 

On 30th November 2022 he joined Blackpool as their Sporting Director where he will will work closely with Blackpool head coach Michael Appleton and report to the Tangerines' board. He will lead the sporting side of the club.