Chelsea hope Mauricio Pochettino can improve on his disappointing 12th place in the Premier League last season, but Ian Wright says they have more problems to solve
Moises Caicedo is a big signing for Chelsea, but according to Ian Wright he won’t solve the problem that prevents them from competing for the Premier League title this season.
Chelsea have been busy over the summer transfer window reforming their squad for Mauricio Pochettino. The signing of Caicedo from Brighton, for a record £115m UK transfer, is the headline addition to a £250m splurge, set to rise further once Romeo’s £58m signing is announced Street.
The Blues are starting a new era under Pochettino and showed promising signs in their first Premier League game of the season, drawing 1-1 against Liverpool. But they scored just 38 goals in 38 league games last season to finish 12th and ex-Arsenal striker Wright believes their lack of progress will continue to hamper them. “It’s a great move for Moises Caicedo, especially as he plays alongside Enzo Fernandez,” he told Premier League Productions. “I think Enzo and Caicedo will be the two up front in defense who will really strengthen him.
“But as they are a challenge [for Man City and Arsenal] I don’t know who will score goals for them. I think Chelsea will be in and around them. I still feel Arsenal will be there, without a doubt. “You look at someone like Caicedo in Brighton’s midfield, how brilliant he was and how good their defensive record was. Arsenal were also missing a player like Thomas Partey at the end of last season.
“Those defensive midfielders do so much for the team, not just breaking up the game but how they can play the ball. It’s a position when you play that type of football, with a defensive midfielder, then he becomes one of the central players – He’s now a very, very important player in the system.”
Chelsea lost £52m to striker Christopher Nkunku with a serious knee injury earlier this month and have lined up new signing Nicolas Jackson up front against Liverpool. Jackson joined the Blues in a £32m deal from Villarreal and was lively last weekend, but he is relatively inexperienced and will need support from the club’s array of other strikers.
Although the club expects Pochettino to get more from the likes of Raheem Sterling and Mykhaylo Mudryk, they too are not finished in the transfer window. “We are also working on the transfer market and trying to find a solution, perhaps in the short, medium and long term, to find the right profile for the team,” said Pochettino after Nkunku’s injury.
