Chelsea are targeting Mauricio Pochettino as head coach from next season. However, the move of interest in Neymar could disrupt the Blues’ plans.
After completing the takeover of Chelsea in May last year, Todd Boehly continuously created “blockbuster” in the transfer market. Partly to demonstrate their ambition but also a sign that they will be fierce in their pursuit of top stars like Roman Abramovich.
American owners spent more than 600 million euros to bring in 17 rookies in the last 2 transfer windows. However, this is hardly considered a wise strategy of the Blues. Because, those deals happened in a chaotic context, especially when Thomas Tuchel was fired.
Last summer, after meeting with Jorge Mendes, Boehly came up with the idea to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. However, at that time, Tuchel – the head coach of Chelsea, refused due to Ronaldo’s age.
However, Boelhy always wanted to recruit CR7 and led to a discordant relationship with Tuchel. Controversy broke out and ended with the German strategist being fired last September.
Currently, according to British media, Chelsea are closely monitoring Neymar’s move at Paris St Germain. This should set off alarm bells when Chelsea could repeat the same pattern.
Chelsea have yet to confirm the appointment of a new head coach, Frank Lampard is taking over as caretaker following the sacking of Graham Potter. However, British media revealed that Pochettino will almost lead the Blues after this year’s season ends. The two sides have had discussions, including the transfer policy.
Pochettino wants to bring recruitment expert Paul Mitchell to Stamford Bridge, having enjoyed success together at Southampton and Tottenham. However, Chelsea was quick to protest. But surely, the Argentine strategist will want to have a certain say in the Chelsea dressing room.
Boehly has hired two sporting directors – Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and technical director Christopher Vivell. Meanwhile, Joe Shields, Kyle Macaulay and Jim Fraser are responsible for management and recruitment.
Chelsea want data analysis to play an important role in making transfer decisions, while reducing the impact of the head coach.
ESPN reported on February 15, Boehly met with PSG president Al-Khelaifi to talk about a number of topics, including the Neymar deal. And that link has resurfaced in recent days, with speculation that Neymar will leave PSG this summer. Premier League is the destination that the Brazilian star prioritizes
The 31-year-old striker, if at his best, is still a dangerous attacking player. But is the signing of Neymar appropriate in the Chelsea scene, especially if Pochettino comes to power?
Chelsea is now a collection of individuals. Adding a star that always has too big of an “ego” will cause more disharmony. Gary Neville once described Newcastle’s ambition to recruit Neymar as “a circus”, which will break the foundation that coach Eddie Howe is building.
Of course, Chelsea has no such background and is building an identity. Owning a player of Neymar’s caliber is an opportunity that cannot be denied. In return, the risk will be very large, especially in terms of Financial Fair Play.
Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona for a record-breaking €222 million in 2017. With two years remaining on his contract, the amount Chelsea must spend to sign Neymar is forecast to be around €100 million. Besides, there is a high demand for the salary of the Brazilian player.
The absence of tickets to next season’s European Cup will cause Chelsea’s revenue to decrease significantly. Previously, the Blues reported a loss of about 121 million euros in the 2021-2022 season, and needed to optimize the squad if they wanted to comply with the Financial Fair Play Law.
On top of that, Pochettino did not have a good relationship with Neymar when he led PSG. The Argentine strategist once shared with Revolo newspaper about the difficulties of working with stars, including Neymar.
The appointment of a new head coach will be very important to Chelsea, and if Pochettino is the chosen one, Boehly needs to listen!
