3 August 2023
By Roger Kennedy
roger@TheCork.ie
Soccer
There’s been a huge overhaul of the squad at Chelsea this summer, with Mauricio Pochettino overseeing a bunch of exciting incomings at Stamford Bridge. There have been a couple of thrilling additions up front, which could provide the goals that the team has been lacking in recent times.
Pochettino is best known in England for turning Harry Kane into one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever strikers. Now, Chelsea fans will be wondering if he can work the same magic on their new summer signings.
Chelsea Will be Among Title Contenders Under Pochettino
After his success at Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino became one of the world’s most sought-after managers in the game. With the resources available to him at Chelsea, there’s no doubt that the Argentinian will help make the Blues contenders for the title. In the current EPL title odds, Chelsea are outsiders at 14/1 at the time of writing. Title holders Manchester City are 4/6 and will be hard to beat. However, there’s a chance that these odds will shift greatly when Pochettino’s revitalised Blues start putting on a show.
Chelsea have missed a prolific striker for years now, and this has been the key reason why they have struggled in recent seasons. Some of the world’s best forwards have arrived at Stamford Bridge and failed miserably, with Romelu Lukaku one of the best examples.
Pochettino will be looking to break that curse, and his new additions from Villareal and RB Leipzig could achieve that. The squad at Chelsea is looking extremely strong, and there’s a wealth of talent in various positions. It should be no problem to keep possession and create chances, but there needs to be a player with killer instincts at the end of them.
New Manager Could Mould New Players into a Prolific Forwards
When Pochettino first started managing Spurs, Kane had been plying his trade in the Championship through various loan spells. The former Southampton boss identified his talent and nurtured him into a red-hot sharpshooter. Chelsea’s new summer signing in the centre-forward role shares many of the same attributes as the England captain. He’s exactly the same height and has displayed lethal finishing skills.
The most useful incoming at Chelsea this season could be Christopher Nkunku, who signed for the London club for a fee of £52 million. The 25-year-old can play across a range of positions in the attack, meaning that Pochettino will be able to mix up his approach and try different options. The Frenchman scored 47 goals in 119 appearances in the Bundesliga, and many of these came from the wings. If he takes up the centre-forward role or acts as a support striker at Chelsea, his tally could be much more than this.
The main reason for Chelsea’s failure in recent seasons has been the fact that they have simply failed to put the ball in the back of the net. There are plenty of players who can create chances, but there’s a serious lack of end product. Pochettino may have addressed that issue with his summer signings, who could soon become the hottest forwards in the division. Their goals could make the Blues title contenders once again.
