Though Chelsea have had a horrid 2023, there’s an acceptance that Mauricio Pochettino will still be given time to turn things around at Stamford Bridge.
When Todd Boehly appointed the Argentinian, and spent record sums on players such as Moises Caicedo, it’s a fair bet that he wouldn’t have expected to be 10th at Christmas and a cavernous 18 points behind Premier League leaders, Arsenal.
That is the precise scenario that they find themselves in, though Pochettino does appear to be a glass half full type of character who steadfastly believes that he will eventually get the results everyone at the club expects.
Shopping in the transfer market not just for the present but for the future is important, as is Chelsea owner, Boehly’s multi-club ownership model, BlueCo.
One of the other clubs that the American also owns is French outfit, Strasbourg, and according to The Standard, they are looking to acquire highly-rated 19-year-old talent, Valentin Barco from Boca Juniors.
Chelsea are known admirers of the player so it stands to reason that any move to Strasbourg will offer the talented teenager a pathway to Stamford Bridge when the time is right.
Traditionalists won’t like this new game model, but as we see with City Football Group and others, it will likely become the way forward for the beautiful game.