Mauricio Pochettino was honest about his lack of input in Chelsea’s transfer activity this summer, most notably admitting it was sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart along with owner Todd Boehly who signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City, but it appears he’s asked for more of a say in January.
Pochettino told Sky Sports in a pre-match press conference: “When the (transfer) window closed, I said ‘I think I need to be more involved now (with) the decisions.’ I have started to identify what we need for January.” Chelsea spent £400m on new signings over the summer but find themselves 14th in the Premier League after six games.
Chelsea struggling after overhauling entire squad
Chelsea’s most-used starting XI last season included Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Noni Madueka, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz. Only Silva, Fernandez and Sterling have survived this campaign, however, so Pochettino has a task on his hands to get the side to gel.
Not only does the Chelsea manager need time to blood in the youngsters and have them playing to his preferred style, he needs the sporting directors and owner to only sign players to his specifications. In 2019, Pochettino bemoaned not having control of transfers during his time at Tottenham, so he can’t be completely happy right now.
Pochettino might request more experience in the transfer market
Under Todd Boehly, the Blues made a point of signing young talent from European clubs on long-term deals. They currently have 11 players aged 21 or under in the first-team and only have four players above the age of 25. Chelsea have the youngest squad in the Premier League (average age is 23.1) but might switch up their policy when January comes around.
Clubs tend to sign a small handful of players to strengthen the squad, so the core isn’t disrupted. But Boehly has overhauled the majority of the starting eleven with players from a variety of clubs abroad. It’s not a surprise that Chelsea are struggling, but time will tell if Boehly recognises his mistake. Pochettino needs to mould the squad in his image, and that should start with choosing his own transfer targets.
