Mauricio Pochettino has said that it would be crazy for him not to take an active role in Chelsea’s recruitment strategy during the January transfer window.
The Stamford Bridge club’s signings are overseen by the sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, with input from the co-director of recruitment and talent, Joe Shields. Behdad Eghbali, the co-owner, has also been a prominent figure during recent windows.
It is described as a collaborative system, rather than one led by the manager – but Pochettino, who has targeted defensive additions and a striker, expects to have his say over signings.
“It’s obvious that the head coach, coach or manager is crazy to think he won’t be involved in any decisions for the future in my area,” Chelsea’s head coach said. “Of course, we will share with the owners, the sporting director and I cannot conceive the idea of not being involved.”
Chelsea have spent about £1bn on signings under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. The churn has been relentless and hopes of signing a striker such as Brentford’s Ivan Toney or Napoli’s Victor Osimhen may rest on funds being raised through sales next month. Ian Maatsen, Trevoh Chalobah and Noni Madueke face uncertain futures, while Conor Gallagher could be sold if his valuation is met.
Gallagher, previously a target for Tottenham, Newcastle and West Ham, is out of contract at the end of next season and issues over financial fair play could tempt Chelsea into selling the midfielder. However, that would not go down well with Pochettino. Gallagher, an academy product and Chelsea fan, has been in fine form this season and has regularly captained the side.
However, Pochettino indicated that he remains aligned with the hierarchy on signings. Asked if he expects a calmer window than last summer, he said: “Yes, of course. It’s not only my advice it is about how we are sharing with the owners and the sporting directors. There is very good communication, we talk every single day and we will take decisions because we are all agreed.”
Chelsea, who are 10th before visiting Luton on Saturday, named their youngest ever starting XI in the Premier League during their midweek win over Crystal Palace. “It is more about being consistent,” Pochettino added. “That is the challenge. With the players that we have we can have a very good season but we need to improve. There is talent but that is not enough. It is also about mentality.”
