Chelsea mid-season review: Ranking Mauricio Pochettino's summer signings
Chelsea have been the front-runner in splashing cash to acquire talents from all around the world. But have the players lived up to the billing? They haven’t. While Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling [this season] remain as exceptions, the others are yet to find their rhythm at Stamford Bridge. Expectations from the fans are piling up and the man who faces most of the heat is none other than Moises Caicedo.
Considering his staggering price tag (£ 115 million), it is not even a surprise. The performance of the Ecuador international has been quite the opposite of his record-breaking transfer fee. He is yet to mark his name on the scoresheet despite featuring 17 times in the Blues shirt.
Football pundit Glen Johnson believes Chelsea’s bidding war with Liverpool for Moises Caicedo forced the Londoners to pay over and beyond. Defensive midfielders are ruling the world of football right now.
The “number 10” role seems to be diminishing and recent transfers across the leagues are a testament to the same. Liverpool and Chelsa were at the forefront ahead of the 2023/24 season to land top defensive midfielders on their side. Although it was Mauricio Pochettino’s side that succeeded in landing most of their targets, it is the Reds that are reaping benefits.
Moises Caceido was one of the prime targets for the Reds just like Romeo Lavia. However, Chelsea grabbed them both swiftly, leaving Liverpool with Wataru Endo. The stats back the latter as Caceido and Lavia are struggling to deliver. Despite being unable to win the transfer battle, the Merseyside did not leave without a fight. Liverpool did manage to hurt Chelsea’s wallet by constantly engaging in a war of bids.
Mauricio Pochettino is left with the big buys (and big spends) but not big performances as expected. On the other hand, Jurgen Klopp is reaping rewards on his purchases — Wataru, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister. As reported by The Mirror, the Liverpool boss recently commented about the transfer fiasco by saying,
“The summer we had with a few strange things happen in the transfer market but here between us I can say, ‘My god, we were lucky”.
Glen Johnson’s speculation does not seem far-fetched. If it wasn’t for the duel with Liverpool over these players, Chelsea would have brought them for a much lower price. Chelsea are enduring desperate times, leaving Pochettino to make some major changes within. Let’s wait and see if he can turn the situation around.
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