Mauricio Pochettino will NOT decide on Chelsea transfers in January with board keen for boss to ‘focus on coaching’
CHELSEA manager Mauricio Pochettino will not have influence in the club’s transfer activity this January.
The Blues have already spent over £1billion in the last three transfer windows after owner Todd Boehly took over in the summer last year.
According to transfer insider David Ornstein, the West Londoners will go back in the next market for more reinforcement.
This time Chelsea are hoping to sign an “elite” striker but may have to opt for a versatile forward that can spearhead the attack instead.
However, recruitment will be handled exclusively by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart with support from Boehly.
Pochettino will have “an input” but very limited as he won’t even be able to veto Winstanley and Stewart’s choices.
That is because the Chelsea hierarchy want the Argentine tactician to focus on coaching the team after a turbulent start to the season.
Pochettino’s side has already been linked with the likes of Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Brighton‘s Evan Ferguson and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.
However, the ex-Tottenham manager is also set to welcome Christopher Nkunku back from knee injury for the second half of the season.
Ornstein wrote for The Athletic: “Lautaro Martinez, Benjamin Sesko, Evan Ferguson and Victor Boniface are mentioned to me a lot by people who work in recruitment.
“The demand continues to outstrip the supply. It’s not absolutely guaranteed that clubs such as Chelsea end up signing a pure No 9… Maybe they instead go for a more flexible forward who can contribute goals.
“Chelsea also have Christopher Nkunku coming back, although they will probably lose Nicolas Jackson to the AFCON.
“Their recruitment will be led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with support from the owners.
“My understanding is that Mauricio Pochettino will have an input but that’s about it; no veto, increased power or anything like that.
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“Chelsea want him to focus on coaching the team and despite some of their results so far this season, I think he’s showing promising signs and will do a really good job.
“There is a very good chance they will recruit somebody in attack this January and if it’s going to be a No9 the idea would be for it to be an elite one, because they already have Jackson and Armando Broja who will continue to develop.
“It’s clear they need more potency up front if they are to start scoring more goals, so you can understand why they’re looking to the market.”