Mauricio Pochettino takes patient approach with new Chelsea signings Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is in no rush to throw new signings Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia straight into his team for Sunday’s clash with West Ham, while he suggested the club could opt against signing a new striker.
The west Londoners broke the Premier League transfer record for the second time this year by spending £115million on Caicedo earlier this week, before forking out £58m on teenager Lavia to complete a massive midfield rebuild.
Chelsea have spent all summer trying to secure a midfield partner for Enzo Fernandez, but Pochettino could hold off on introducing his new additions and is happy to bed them in slowly.
Pochettino Congratulates Club on New Signings
Asked if the pair would be ready to make their debuts on Sunday, Pochettino said at his pre-match press conference: ‘I think we need to assess, we have one day more to assess them. It was very stressful weeks for Moi [Moises] and Romeo also.’
On how delighted he is to sign the two midfielders, Pochettino continued: ‘Of course the club worked really hard about that, we have to congratulate the owners and the sporting directors, Lawrence [Stewart] and Paul [Winstanley], because the job they did was amazing.
‘To add these types of players, like Moi or Romeo now and all the previous signings, I think it was fantastic work from the club and I think we need to congratulate the job that they are doing.’
Pochettino Wary of Signing New Striker
With Christopher Nkunku sidelined until the end of the year, Chelsea have been linked with bringing in attacking reinforcements but Pochettino does not want to sign anyone that could potentially limit Armando Broja’s first-team opportunities.
Asked if a forward was next on his list, Pochettino replied: ‘We are working, of course, seeing all the options that are on the market – I think all the clubs are doing the same as us – and then see the potential that we can transform into reality on this target.
‘But I think at the same time we are keeping one or two eyes on Armando Broja, because I think we cannot forget him, and we cannot stop [his development] by bringing the same profile of player that can stop his evolution.
‘We really believe in him, we know him very well. He can be a really important striker for Chelsea and we need to be careful.’
He added: ‘We cannot go for some player that maybe stops a player that we already have. Maybe we need patience and to try to adapt our squad to get positive results while we wait for Armando to get fully fit.’
Conclusion
Mauricio Pochettino is taking a patient approach with his new Chelsea signings Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, while he is wary of signing a new striker that could limit Armando Broja’s first-team opportunities. The Argentine coach has praised the club for their work in signing the two midfielders and believes they can be an important part of Chelsea’s project.