LITTLE BIT

Mauricio Pochettino arrives to straighten out this drifting project. Since the sacking of Graham Potter and the signing of Lampard as caretaker, the Blues leaders have been searching for a manager. The young Naggelsman, who had just been fired from Bayern, was one of the candidates, as well as Luis Enrique. Finally, the former Tottenham player, one of Chelsea’s great rivals, has been chosen, signing for two seasons with the option of an extra one, and his profile seems to respond adequately to the current needs of the London team.

Pochettino’s first big task will be to form the squad. After their two frantic markets, the blues have 32 players, an absolutely disproportionate number. The tremendous expense made also forces Todd Boehly to part with footballers, so a summer is expected with more departures than arrivals at the Bridge, although it does seem that they will undertake the signing of a striker. Since Diego Costa, Chelsea have never managed to hit that position, through which Giroud, Morata, Lukaku or Aubameyang have passed without their performance being in line with the club’s requirements. Oshimen, who has just been proclaimed capocanonieri del Calcio with Napoli, is the main candidate. Nkunku, from Leipzig, also seems done, although the Frenchman is not a typical forward, more of a player to act in three quarters.

The Academy must also be important; Very talented players such as Reece James or Mason Mount have emerged from Cobham in recent years, and Pochettino must continue to promote them, just as he did at Tottenham. Those seasons can be a mirror to look at for the Argentine, because he did precisely what Chelsea needs right now, a long, calm project, in which to gradually develop attractive football, sign with moderation and sensitivity and promote talent club youth. With Pochettino, the spurs progressively improved until they reached the culmination of that Champions League final against Liverpool. At PSG, on the other hand, things did not go so well for the Argentine, in a dressing room full of egos that he did not know how to handle. Whether his stage at Chelsea resembles one more than the other will depend precisely on his ability to put together a squad that mixes youth and seniority well, has a willingness to learn and a desire to win.

Chelsea, logically, will not play in Europe next season. All his rivals except Tottenham will do so, a factor that could be decisive in reaching the top four positions, since returning to the Champions League should be Pochettino’s main goal in his first year. Chelsea’s disastrous campaign does not reflect the real level of its squad. Even without signings, the blues have great footballers, who this season have been imbued with the atmosphere of lack of control that has reigned in the club. That Boehly has learned from his mistakes is the other factor that will mark Pochettino’s stay. If the North American tycoon has understood that his excessive interventionism has led to the disaster of this campaign and that everything good in football requires time and patience, the stage of the Argentine coach at the Bridge could be successful.