Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino set for transfer talks with Blues hierarchy after damning 'mid-table' assessment

The Argentine tactician is set for talks with the Chelsea hierarchy, but over January acquisitions rather than his own future. The Blues have slid to 12th in the Premier League table after three defeats in four games, and Pochettino is now determined to strengthen with the transfer window approaching.

He is expected to sit down to discuss a strategy with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and they may even be joined by owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

According to the Evening Standard, Pochettino is keen to reinforce in as many as three areas of the pitch with a new defender, central midfielder and striker.

It's been widely reported that Chelsea want a new centre-forward, with Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Brentford's Ivan Toney and Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord all linked. Jonathan Tah has been touted as a defensive option.

The desire for a midfielder and defender may come as a surprise, although injuries mean the Blues are still without the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana, while captain Reece James picked up a fresh knock in the defeat at Everton.

Speaking after Sunday's 2-0 loss at Goodison Park, Pochettino damningly admitted that mid-table was currently Chelsea's "reality", and implored the club's owners to open their wallets yet again.

"We need to talk and to try and improve in the next transfer market," he said. "We are dealing with this. After five months, or the first half of the season, we need to check and that’s the reality. If we are not aggressive enough (on the pitch) maybe we need to do something.

"That’s a thing to analyse with the sporting director and the owner and see what we can do to change the dynamic and improve the second half of the season.

"Our reality now is mid-table and if we want to go up we have to push ourselves. When the transfer window opens (we will) see what we can do.

"I’m not saying I’m going to ask for more players or less players but it is to see if perception matches reality. If perception here (indicating one point on a line) and reality is here (indicating another point) then we are missing something in the middle."

It will be fascinating to see how Chelsea approach the January transfer window, given their spending surpassed £300 million ($377m) at the same stage in 2023. Needless to say, the Blues cannot afford to repeat past mistakes in the market given the urgent need for immediate results.