It appears that Mauricio Pochettino is experiencing some discontent with a couple of Chelsea’s high-profile players following a season that fell short of expectations.
Despite significant investments in players such as Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson, and Cole Palmer, hopes were high for Pochettino to steer Chelsea to the upper echelons of the Premier League.
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Yet, the 2023/24 season has proven to be quite underwhelming for the Blues, who find themselves in ninth place in the standings, trailing fifth-place Aston Villa by 16 points and league leaders Arsenal by a substantial 27 points.
Recent reports suggest that Pochettino, along with his coaching team, is dissatisfied with the performance of two particular squad members.
Football Insider has disclosed from sources that the Chelsea coaching staff is particularly disillusioned with the contributions of wingers Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling.
Mudryk, the Ukrainian winger, has tallied a modest six goals and three assists in 33 outings this season, a return that hasn’t lived up to the expectations set by his £88 million transfer in 2023.
Raheem Sterling, the seasoned England winger, has featured in 38 matches in all competitions during the 2023/24 season, contributing eight goals and the same number of assists.
Subsequent reports indicate that Chelsea is poised to pursue a fresh winger in the upcoming summer transfer window.
In recent developments, Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao has emerged as a potential recruit for Stamford Bridge, with rumors of his transfer intensifying over the past several weeks.
Speaking after their 2-2 draw against Sheffield United, Pochettino said: “It is about being able to compete. For different reasons we are struggling to compete in these type of games [against lesser teams].
“Maybe [it is] because this group is not mature enough to compete in games every three days.”
He added: “It is a new team with profiles in the squad that we are learning,” said the Chelsea boss. “That is why the process to build a team always takes time. It is not a magic thing [clicks fingers].
“When we talk about projects, we talk about three or five years. It is a normal process but we are working to fix this type of problem. When we arrive at the end of the season, we need to analyse the squad to see what we are missing and try to add people with the capacity to provide [solutions for] what we are seeing today.”
