Rio Ferdinand Warns Mauricio Pochettino of Chelsea’s Lack of Balance
Introduction
Rio Ferdinand has warned Mauricio Pochettino that Chelsea’s squad ‘lacks balance’ and is ‘crying out for some midfielders’ as he prepares to take over at Stamford Bridge. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Pochettino’s Arrival at Chelsea
Pochettino starts his tenure in west London next week after agreeing to become the club’s sixth permanent manager in five years at the end of last season. The former Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and Southampton boss takes charge of a team that finished just 12th in the Premier League last term, closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places. Despite the fact Pochettino is yet to arrive at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have been busy in the transfer market, unveiling Christopher Nkunku as their latest big-money signing.
Chelsea’s Transfer Activity
Chelsea’s hierarchy have also started trimming a bloated first-team squad, selling Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy. But Ferdinand believes the outgoings have left Chelsea with an unbalanced squad and says the Blues need to bring in some new midfielders to compensate for the departures. Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton, having admitted defeat in the race to sign Declan Rice, who is set to join Arsenal in a deal worth more than £100m. Chelsea have agreed to sell Mason Mount to Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
Ferdinand’s Warning
Ex-Manchester United defender Ferdinand told the FIVE YouTube channel: ‘You look at Chelsea’s midfield – Jorginho went last season, Kante and Kovacic have gone, Mount and Loftus-Cheek are on their way out. ‘That’s five midfielders, two or three of them start. There’s no midfield at that club at the moment. ‘They’ve got about eight or nine attacking players in the wide areas but the squad lacks balance, they’re crying out for some midfielders. ‘It’s going to be interesting to see where they go because they need someone alongside Enzo, who they spent £100m on.’
Transfer Strategy
Discussing Chelsea’s transfer strategy over the past 12 months, Ferdinand added: ‘Are these players Chelsea are buying for the future? ‘Because they’ve sold a lot of experience and are bringing in players that look like development players to me. ‘They look like they will need time. They’ve got huge potential but Chelsea need players for now as well. ‘Is it a change in tact in their recruitment? It’s going to be really interesting to see how Chelsea shape up after the transfer window. Chelsea fans might need to be patient.’
Conclusion
Rio Ferdinand has issued a warning to new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino that the squad lacks balance and is in need of midfielders. With the transfer window still open, it will be interesting to see how Chelsea shape up after the window closes and if Pochettino can bring in the right players to help turn around their fortunes.