The story of Chelsea’s transfer window was a far cry from their extravagant spending in January last year.
In fact, the Blues failed to sign anyone to bolster their squad and Mauricio Pochettino will have to place full trust in the players at his disposal.
That’s not to say the west Londoners were not linked with anyone, as a plethora of players were touted for moves to Stamford Bridge, especially with the manager looking to add some depth to his attacking department.
The club could come to rue not bringing in at least one new centre-forward as competition for Nicolas Jackson, especially as Pochettino is aiming to secure a European spot for the 2024/25 season.
Chelsea missed out on signing a new striker
Armando Broja joined Fulham on loan until the end of the season and this leaves Jackson as Chelsea’s only senior centre-forward heading into the final few months of the campaign.
While Broja’s departure was always certain, Pochettino missed a trick by not adding to this department, especially considering who they were linked with.
Lautaro Martinez was just one of the players the Stamford Bridge outfit were believed to be showing an interest in, and they should have made a more concrete effort to bring him to the Premier League.
According to a report from Sports Lens during the winter window, the Blues were keen on bringing the Inter Milan striker to England, although they faced some stiff competition from Arsenal.
The Serie A side placed an £80m-£100m valuation on their prized asset and despite the club looking to tie him down on an extended deal, a bid in this region would perhaps have been too much to turn down.
Luring the World Cup winner to the Premier League would have been another major coup for Chelsea, and it would have reinvigorated their frontline, as Pochettino has struggled to get the best out of Jackson since he arrived at the club from Villarreal last summer.
Nicolas Jackson’s season in numbers
The Senegal international cost the Blues slightly more than his £30.1m release clause and, having impressed at the Spanish club, it looked like a solid acquisition from the new manager.
Indeed, 12 La Liga goals and four assists was clearly enough to entice the former Paris Saint-Germain manager to snap him up, although he has yet to have a similar impact in England.
The 22-year-old has scored seven goals in the top flight, including a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur – albeit they were down to nine men when he netted all three of his goals – and the jury is still out whether he can be a long-term solution to a problem the club have faced for years.
Although he ranks second among the squad for goals and assists in the Premier League (nine), Jackson also ranks first for big chances missed (12) which indicates that his finishing ability certainly requires some work.
No wonder the club currently occupy tenth place in the league table and signing someone much more prolific last month would have bolstered their chances of potentially securing a top-six finish.
Martinez may have broken the bank, but there is no doubt he would have been worth it to be an improvement on Jackson.
Chelsea endured a transfer howler on Lautaro Martinez
The Argentinean centre-forward has firmly established himself as one of the finest strikers on the continent during his spell at Inter.
Since joining the Italian giants from Racing Club in the summer of 2018, the 26-year-old has gone on to plunder 124 goals in 266 appearances – which works out as around a goal every 2.1 games – a ratio which Pochettino could only dream of his forward options to have.
19
7
2
2
6
12
1.6
1.1
84
207
His greatest compliment came from talent scout Jacek Kulig, who stated that Martinez was a “mix of Aguero and Falcao” and considering how effective those two South American forwards were during their careers, it is high praise indeed.
Both could finish from just about anywhere, while they used their excellent physical strength to bully opposition defenders into submission, and it is clear Martinez is of a similar stature to these two, indicating that he could be a big success in the Premier League.
Kulig also claimed the current Inter star has a “killer instinct” and, judging by his goal record so far, his ability in the final third is sublime.
He has taken his displays to new levels this term. Among his current Inter teammates, Martinez currently ranks first in the squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.69) in Serie A, along with ranking first for goals and assists (21), shots on target per game (3.4) and for scoring frequency (a goal every 84 minutes) and these figures certainly suggest he is at the peak of his powers.
The former Racing hitman also shines when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, ranking in the top 5% for non-penalty goals (0.78) and total shots (4.11) per 90 which again suggests he is in the form of his life and would have made a wonderful signing for the Blues.
Jackson, on the other hand, ranks in the top 10% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.68) and in the top 38% for total shots per 90 (2.79), indicating that the Argentinean would be a clear upgrade to the current Chelsea forward.
While Pochettino has been utilising Cole Palmer in a more advanced role due to Jackson’s absence at the Africa Cup of Nations, his preferred position is just behind the striker and if the Senegal international suffers an injury between now and the end of the season, they will be short of options.
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This may impact whether the Blues can secure a spot in the top six this term and results will have to majorly improve over the coming weeks, otherwise they will have to settle for another season in mid-table mediocrity.
Martinez may not have joined the club in January, but Pochettino will be desperate to lure his compatriot to the promised land once the summer transfer window finally opens at the end of the season.