{"id":299738,"date":"2023-12-12T17:43:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T17:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/?p=299738"},"modified":"2023-12-12T17:43:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T17:43:59","slug":"pochettino-to-address-chelseas-lack-of-height-in-transfer-window","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/soccer\/pochettino-to-address-chelseas-lack-of-height-in-transfer-window\/","title":{"rendered":"Pochettino to address Chelsea&apos;s lack of height in transfer window"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> Mauricio Pochettino wants to sign TALLER players in January to address Chelsea&#8217;s lack of height&#8230; after his side started with only four outfield players over 6ft in dismal defeat by Everton<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chelsea suffered their seventh league defeat of the season against Everton<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><span>Pochettino&#8217;s side are languishing in the bottom half of the table after 16 games<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Todd Boehly reminds me of the rich drunk guy at a sporting memorabilia night with the players Chelsea have bought &#8211; Listen to It&#8217;s All Kicking Off\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They say size doesn\u2019t matter. Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino would argue to the contrary.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 10 outfield players that started in Sunday\u2019s loss at Everton, only four were 6ft or over &#8211; Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Cole Palmer and Armando Broja.<\/p>\n<p>There is a particular lack of height in centre midfield: Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher are vertically challenged in an area of the pitch where every inch counts.<\/p>\n<p>Aerially, it leaves Chelsea in a difficult spot. It means the central midfielders cannot attack high balls through the middle leaving one of the centre-backs to step forward to fulfil that necessity.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s part of the reason why Pochettino has persisted with playing 6ft 2ins centre-half Levi Colwill at left-back this season. It may also explain why 19-year-old Chimuanya Ugochukwu, who is 6ft 3ins, has played more often than expected this term.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/15\/78827593-12850959-image-a-37_1702310278957.jpg\" height=\"448\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Chelsea endured another disappointing afternoon as they lost 2-0 against Everton on Sunday<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/15\/78827605-12850959-image-a-38_1702310286111.jpg\" height=\"488\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Chelsea&#8217;s lack of height in midfield has forced Mauricio Pochettino to persist with playing 6ft 2ins centre-half Levi Colwill (pictured) at left-back this season, in the absence of Ben Chilwell<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/15\/78827559-12850959-image-a-39_1702310288704.jpg\" height=\"422\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Pochettino is under no immediate danger at Stamford Bridge despite their woeful run of form<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a problem for Pochettino, and one he is set to recommend the club seek to rectify in January.<\/p>\n<p>The Argentine\u2019s plea for new players following the loss at Goodison Park was indicative of how concerned Pochettino is about the strength of his squad.<\/p>\n<p>Public declarations of needing players isn\u2019t how he operates. Those at Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, who have worked alongside Pochettino in terms of player recruitment, speak of a man respectful to the parameters he is working within.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He doesn\u2019t demand, he recommends,\u2019 said one source.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, the sheer fact Pochettino felt compelled to openly promote a need for new signings is symbolic of his concern at how the season is developing.<\/p>\n<p>The Argentine is under no immediate danger at Stamford Bridge. The ownership are mindful of the cards he was dealt.<\/p>\n<p>But by the same token, they are restless. They want success, particularly after a near \u00a31billion spend on new players, although how they\u2019ve spent those fortunes have been open to conjecture and often ridicule.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s likely to be money to spend in January, but there is an understanding that the club are flying closer to the wind with Financial Fair Play than they\u2019d like.<\/p>\n<p>The FFP problem is why they\u2019ve taken to selling many of the club\u2019s academy graduates &#8211; Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to name three &#8211; because it counts as pure profit on the balance sheet.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s why Chelsea are refusing to internally rule out the prospect of selling Conor Gallagher, who Pochettino rates, amid ongoing uncertainty over his contractual situation.<\/p>\n<p>Tottenham are keen on Gallagher as a No 8 if Chelsea decide to sell.<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward, Chelsea would rather keep a tighter rein on the wage bill, the prospect of paying players in-excess of \u00a3150,000-per-week is something they are keen to avoid.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, how do you attract a top player &#8211; particularly the elite striker they so desperately need &#8211; on \u00a3150,000-per-week when rival clubs will be willing to pay close to double that?<\/p>\n<p>Brentford striker Ivan Toney is a target. But he is likely to cost close to \u00a3100million and knows he could earn more elsewhere with Arsenal and Manchester United both interested in the England international.<\/p>\n<p>Toney certainly fits the bill in terms of the stature and athleticism he wants from his players.<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/16\/78827737-12850959-image-a-40_1702310503771.jpg\" height=\"422\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Chelsea are refusing to internally rule out the prospect of selling England international Conor Gallagher, who has captained the side in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/17\/78827901-12850959-The_club_are_interested_in_bringing_in_Ivan_Toney_but_he_is_like-m-1_1702314033220.jpg\" height=\"524\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The club are interested in bringing in Ivan Toney but\u00a0he is likely to cost close to \u00a3100million<\/p>\n<p>Pochettino would ideally like a bigger central midfielder in his squad, particularly in games where he knows the opposition pose an aerial threat.<\/p>\n<p>But having spent well over \u00a3200million on Caicedo and Enzo and with Romeo Lavia, who himself cost \u00a358m, still to return from injury &#8211; you\u2019d imagine Chelsea\u2019s owners would prefer to spend money in other areas.<\/p>\n<p>Mail Sport has also learned there is a feeling at Chelsea that they could do with strengthen at goalkeeper amid concerns over the viability of options beneath first-choice Robert Sanchez, who suffered an injury at Goodison Park.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a recognition that the squad lacks genuine leadership and authority &#8211; an area Pochettino wants to address.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Pochettino gets what he feels he requires to transform Chelsea\u2019s season is another matter.<\/p>\n<p>The former Spurs boss isn\u2019t one to fully immerse himself in the transfer market politics.<\/p>\n<p>He doesn\u2019t like directly dealing with intermediaries and agents, in contrast to many of his peers who prefer to have a closer relationship with the representatives of the players his club are interested in.<\/p>\n<p>Pochettino 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.<\/p>\n<p>And while Pochettino will have significant involvement over talent indication ahead of the transfer window, his involvement will be restricted to making technical recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>He leave the intricacies of dealing with agents to director of global talent and transfers Paul Winstanely, technical director Laurence Stewart, and Behdad Eghbali, who has taken a hands on role after fellow co-owner Todd Boehly decided to take a step back in the summer.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/16\/78827965-12850959-image-a-43_1702310727225.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mail Sport has learned that Chelsea could strengthen at goalkeeper amid concerns over the viability of options beneath first-choice Robert Sanchez, who went off injured against Everton<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/16\/78828345-12850959-image-a-44_1702311132931.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Behdad Eghbali (left)\u00a0has taken a hands on role on transfers\u00a0after fellow co-owner Todd Boehly decided to take a step back in the summer, but there has been no improvement on the pitch<\/p>\n<p>Pochettino is said to have had a particularly good working relationship with Stewart, a bond that could be vital in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Whether that\u2019s the right course of action for Pochettino remains to be seen. His squad isn\u2019t good enough, but that isn\u2019t on him; sources indicating he had very minimal input into the summer transfer window.<\/p>\n<p>So perhaps, it would be in his best interests to be more assertive next month. But that isn\u2019t his style, although some insiders believe his reluctance to call the shots is down to a lack of grasp on the market.<\/p>\n<p>In the mean time, Pochettino and his trusted aide Jesus Perez are banking on the returns to fitness of Lavia and Christopher Nkunku.<\/p>\n<p>But even then the club\u2019s approach to recruitment during the Boehly\/Clearlake era has left Pochettino facing a dilemma as to where Nkunku can play.<\/p>\n<p>Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke are all vying for places in wide attacking areas, there is no automatic spot for the France international. The squad\u2019s unbalanced.<\/p>\n<p>Those frustrations are extending to certain members of the squad, who are privately instructing their agents to seek moves away &#8211; which is easier said than done given the long-term contract, eight years in some cases, that have been signed.<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12850959\/Mauricio-Pochettino-wants-address-Chelseas-lack-height-transfer-window-four-starters-dire-Everton-defeat-6ft-January-reinforcements-beckon.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mauricio Pochettino wants to sign TALLER players in January to address Chelsea&#8217;s lack of height&#8230; after his side started with only four outfield players over 6ft in dismal defeat by Everton Chelsea suffered their seventh league defeat of the season against Everton Pochettino&#8217;s side are languishing in the bottom half of the table after 16&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pochettino to address Chelsea&amp;apos;s lack of height in transfer window - Tell My Sport<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/soccer\/pochettino-to-address-chelseas-lack-of-height-in-transfer-window\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pochettino to address Chelsea&amp;apos;s lack of height in transfer window - Tell My Sport\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mauricio Pochettino wants to sign TALLER players in January to address Chelsea&#8217;s lack of height&#8230; 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