Mauricio Pochettino faced the challenging responsibility of reshaping Chelsea into a successful and cohesive team during the summer. However, it appears that the Argentine has limited authority in the club’s transfer dealings.
The managerial role at Chelsea has become somewhat of a difficult task since Todd Boehly’s £4.25 billion takeover in May 2022. Both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard struggled to bring about a positive change at Stamford Bridge.
Despite Pochettino being seen as the potential savior, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager has encountered challenges similar to those of his predecessors.
The team’s consecutive losses to Manchester United and Everton have left Chelsea in 12th place on the Premier League table, showing little improvement under the new management.
Interestingly, it has been revealed that Pochettino wields minimal influence in Chelsea’s transfer strategy and actively avoids dealing with the agents of potential targets.
That’s according to The Daily Mail, who claim that the 51-year-old “fears being used as a pawn by agents willing to tell club recruitment staff that the Chelsea boss fancies their player in hope of leveraging a move for their client.”
The publication claims Pochettino “will have significant involvement over talent indication ahead of the transfer window”, though “his involvement will be restricted to making technical recommendations”.
Despite his request for the west London team to increase spending in the winter transfer market, Pochettino appears to maintain a hands-off approach.
This reluctance could be attributed to the involvement of Paul Winstanely, director of global talent and transfers, technical director Laurence Stewart, and Behdad Eghbali, who have taken charge of dealings with players’ agents and intermediaries since Boehly stepped back in the summer.
According to the report, Pochettino had minimal input in the summer transfer window, placing some responsibility on the club’s recruitment team for the players’ poor form this season.
The extent of Pochettino’s influence on Chelsea’s January transfer activities remains uncertain.
Reports suggest that he has developed a positive working relationship with Stewart, but his hesitance to advise colleagues on potential signings might stem from a lack of understanding about the market.
