Chelsea trying to adopt Manchester City-style recruitment tactic; Mauricio Pochettino to have the final say in transfers

Chelsea are shifting to a more collaborative style player recruitment technique mirroring that of Manchester City

Chelsea are shifting towards a more collaborative player recruitment model with manager Mauricio Pochettino having the final say on transfers, similar to Manchester City’s approach.

Despite spending over £1 billion since Todd Boehly’s takeover, the Blues aim to become more targeted in the market from now on according to the Independent. The shake-up under the new ownership led to an initial bloated squad that left things unbalanced.

Chelsea trying to adopt Manchester City-style recruitment tactic; Mauricio Pochettino to have the final say in transfers.
Mauricio Pochettino will now be much more involved in Chelsea transfers come January. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

But gradual changes have moved Chelsea closer to their ideal profile, with the focus on filling specific gaps in January. To achieve that, Mauricio Pochettino is set to have veto power on signings after an extensive consultation process.

The club want to mirror City’s setup where Pep Guardiola outlines the tactical needs before targets are presented for him to decide on. Pochettino will identify the attributes required to fit his system, and then Chelsea’s recruitment team will provide options for him to choose from.

The Argentine is expected to push for a new striker in January, with Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen at the top of his wishlist.

Chelsea trying to adopt Manchester City-style recruitment tactic; Mauricio Pochettino to have the final say in transfers.
Chelsea manager Pochettino wants to sign Ivan Toney or Victor Osimhen to solve their goal-scoring woes. (imago Images)

Neither Nicolas Jackson , Christopher Nkunku nor Armando Broja have fully convinced of the long-term solution up front so far. However, Chelsea also want to allow more time for Pochettino’s squad to gel after constant upheaval.

Letting the former Spurs boss have the final call represents a move towards a more stable approach. Chelsea enjoyed one of their best displays of the season against Arsenal last time out.

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The new collaborative recruitment structure aims to give Pochettino the tools to push the Blues back among the elite. Rather than overhauling the squad, Chelsea now want to empower their manager to refine it through more focused signings.