MAURICIO POCHETTINO is concerned about his lack of midfield heading into the season, according to reports.
Chelsea have been one of the most active clubs in the transfer market this season – with outgoings dominating their transfer business.
GettyMauricio Pochettino has been left frustrated by his lack of midfield reinforcements[/caption]
GettyMoises Caicedo is Chelsea’s top midfield target[/caption]
The Blues have let 13 players leave this summer with three of these being midfielders.
Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Matteo Kovacic all left the club to join Premier League rivals and had a combined 555 Chelsea appearances between them.
Defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria, 26, also saw his loan from Juventus expire and has been linked with a move to West Ham.
According to The Times, Pochettino is now worried about the level of experience he has at his disposal in the midfield.
Pochettino has just six midfield players available to him out of his 29-man squad with four of these being teenagers.
The average age of the midfielders available to him is just 20 and the oldest and most experienced Blues midfielder is Conor Gallagher at just 23.
18-year-old Lewis Hall is also listed in the squad as a midfielder despite being used as a left-back last season.
Chelsea are desperate to add players with more Premier League experience to their midfield and have been linked with a move for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo throughout the summer.
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Despite being just 21, Caicedo was one of the Premier League’s best performing midfielders last season and the Seagulls are holding out for a fee of £100million.
Caicedo dropped a huge hint that he would be leaving Brighton yesterday by removing any mention of Brighton from his Instagram bio.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is taking a firm stance on the transfer however – saying that Caicedo will only leave the club if his asking price is met.
After Brighton’s pre-season 4-3 loss to Chelsea on Sunday, De Zerbi said: “The situation is very clear. At the moment Moises is a Brighton player.
“I spoke with Tony and he told me if the conditions don’t change, Moises stays with us. For me it should be great news because it is difficult to find another player like Moises.
“If Moises leaves we have to find another player of the same level because we deserve to play the next season with the same level of midfielder.
“Moises is a great player, a big player, but he has to know he is playing for Brighton and give his best to Brighton, not anyone else.”