- 2 hours ago
Revealed: Chelsea owners ignored Pochettino's transfer 'appeal'
Chelsea reportedly ignored Mauricio Pochettino's wishes in the recent transfer window.
According to the Daily Mail, the Blues were only interested in bringing young players to Stamford Bridge.
Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Nicolas Jackson were among the youngsters to sign for the club in the summer.
MORE: Chelsea's 10 most expensive transfers of all time
However, Pochettino wanted to add some more proven quality to his first-team squad.
"The youth focus of Chelsea's buying has meant some players have been overlooked due to their age, such as now Tottenham star James Maddison, and left Pochettino's squad short on nous and experience," reports the Daily Mail.
"Pochettino appealed for more during the summer but not one player over the age of 25 was signed."
That leaves Thiago Silva (39), Raheem Sterling (28) and Ben Chilwell (26) as the most experienced individuals at the club.
Especially with the club going through a difficult period, the Blues could have benefitted from having more leaders at Pochettino's disposal.
Chelsea's summer transfers
Chelsea spent over €400 million on transfers in the summer window.
A total of 11 players joined the Blues, with Moises Caicedo the most expensive to sign for the club after his €116m move from Brighton & Hove Albion was finally agreed.
The Premier League has approved Infinite Athlete as Chelsea's front-of-shirt sponsor, as @Matt_Law_DT revealed. Won't be on shirt for Brighton, but everything ready for either Sunday or Monday and thus very likely in time for Fulham. Announcement planned for tomorrow morning.🔵 pic.twitter.com/MmQOt5ULOA
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) September 26, 2023
Chelsea also confirmed the arrival of Romeo Lavia from Southampton for €68m. Incredibly, both players had looked likely to go to Liverpool before being pinched by the Blues.
Christopher Nkunku is another high-profile name who has joined Chelsea this summer, with the west London club splashing out €60m to purchase him from RB Leipzig.
Axel Disasi (€45m from AS Monaco) and Lesley Ugochukwu (€27m from Stade Rennais) were Chelsea’s other two French signings.
Nicolas Jackson arrived from Villarreal for €37m, while Cole Palmer was brought in from treble-winning Manchester City for €47m.