Could Chelsea be the talk of the place, for the right reasons?

BLUES SING: Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea is challenged by Luc De Fougerolles of Fulham during the Premier League Summer Series match between Chelsea FC and Fulham FC at FedExField. Pic: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

If you are looking for a wildcard in this season’s Premier League campaign, then Chelsea fit the description to a tee; so maybe that’s why some people are calling new manager Mauricio Pochettino their knight in shining armour and betting he will transform fortunes at Stamford Bridge.

He may well do. But on reflection that optimism feels like a rather emotional response which ignores so many of the difficulties he will face at Stamford Bridge this season.

The Collins dictionary suggests describing someone as a ‘wildcard’ means they “cause uncertainty because you do not know how they will behave.” 

After the last few seasons, Chelsea fans can recognise that trait in the Blues squad; and this campaign is as unpredictable as ever despite a new man in charge.

Pochettino still has strong currency with the UK media for the style of football he brought to Spurs and their run to the final of the Champions League in 2019.

But memories are often transformed into fairy tales. The fact that he was sacked in north London just five months later with Tottenham sitting 14th in the table has been glossed over. So too his mixed spell at Paris St Germain, in which he failed to win the Ligue 1 title in his first season and saw his team demolished by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.

Despite winning the league a year later the Argentine was sacked once more, primarily because of a last-16 exit in the Champions League to Real Madrid when he had a dream attack of Mbappe, Messi and Neymar.

There’s no doubt that Pochettino is a good coach and an excellent man manager – and being dismissed by PSG for not winning the Champions League leaves him still in good company.

But the job he has at Stamford Bridge should not be underestimated.

Ever since new owner Todd Boehly made the bizarre decision to sack Thomas Tuchel in September 2022, despite the German having won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, the club has been a mess.

Record amounts of money have been spent in successive transfer windows since the UEFA transfer ban imposed on them for FFP breaches was lifted (it’s well over 800m Euros now). But performances on the field, team spirit and club identity have been lost in the process.

Frank Lampard’s appointment as caretaker boss after Tuchel’s dismissal smacked of an owner turning to a legend to get himself onside with home fans, and it didn’t work out despite the former midfielder bringing through some talented youngster.

The club’s decisions since then mean many of those young players have lost their places to more expensive imports, and even talisman Mason Mount has been allowed to leave.

Certainly the arrival of talented coach Graham Potter last season failed to change anything as results continued to crumble.

The problem for the former Brighton man was that crazy figures being spent in the transfer window, and the sheer number of signings made, gave him an absolute headache keeping an oversized squad of big egos happy. Especially at a club which has for years been associated with players having a disproportionate impact on managerial sackings.

He lasted only until April 2023, just seven months. Ironic considering Boehly claimed Potter was brought in to create stability in a long-term project (and handed Albion 25m Euros in compensation to get him).

After the outspoken Tuchel upset the Blues hierarchy, they wanted a ‘good guy’ with strong internal communication to replace him; but quickly changed their mind when the team slid down the table.

Not that Potter was entirely to blame. Another huge transfer outlay in January took the squad to 31 players, diluting club culture and further disrupting the team dynamic – with not even club stalwarts guaranteed a place, let alone the youngsters.

It didn’t help, either, that despite all that money spent there was barely a striker in sight, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ignored and Kai Havertz fumbling his way through game after game up front.

By the end, and with Lampard in charge, Chelsea had totally lost the plot, finishing 12th. That’s 45 points adrift of champions Man City. And with Brentford and Fulham above them they were a long way from even being the top side in west London.

So, what has changed to give Chelsea fans hope?

Well, there is Poch, of course, and there has also been another huge chunk of money spent. Including 27m Euros on Chimuanya Ugochukwu from Rennes, 40m on Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal, 45m for Axel Disasi from Monaco and 30m for Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Some old faces have also moved on. Including former captain Cesar Aziplicueta, Christian Pulisic, Havertz and, strangely, Mount to Premier League rivals Manchester United.

So, new captain Reece James believes it is a fresh start.

He said “It feels like a new bubble. We got a group of new players here. Last season is done and this season we have new expectations and there’s no reason why we can’t achieve what we want to achieve.” You would expect to hear from that a player who has been with the club since he was six years old but there are big question marks. With new signing Ugochukwu injured the striking department still looks thin and the squad continues to look lopsided.

The challenge for Pochettino is similar to the one that Potter faced. How does he turn what appears a randomly assembled list of big-money signings into the kind of strong, united unit of real character that typified Chelsea’s greatest teams in the John Terry, Lampard and Didier Drogba era?

Yes, it could all click and Pochettino’s man management skills could transform everything. Yes, there could still be a big-money striker arriving soon.

But would you want to put money on this wildcard?

It might be better to twist…