Chelsea avoided signing James Maddison due to Todd Bohely’s hardline rule
Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea need to take their chances.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly’s insistence on not signing players over the age of 25 saw the Blues miss out on James Maddison this summer, it is claimed. Maddison joined Tottenham from Leicester and the playmaker has enjoyed a remarkable start for his new club.
Maddison has scored twice and provided a further two assists in just four games for Spurs. Sporting the No 10 shirt previously worn by Harry Kane, the England star has felt little pressure following his £60million move.
The former Coventry man has been given plenty of midfield freedom under Ange Postecoglou. It has led to an excellent partnership with captain Son Heung-min, who struck a hat-trick in Spurs’ 5-1 win over Burnley on Saturday.
But it could have been so different for Maddison had Chelsea adopted a different transfer policy. The Blues’ hierarchy has insisted on not signing players over the age of 25.
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According to the Daily Telegraph, that hardline approach to business meant that Maddison, who turns 27 in November, was not considered. He could have made all the difference in a Chelsea team that has lacked creativity despite a £1billion transfer outlay since the Boehly-led takeover in May 2022.
Of the 25 senior signings made since the takeover, only two have been over the age of 25 when they arrived. Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly were 27 and 31, respectively, although the latter has since departed after a dreadful year in West London.
The lack of experience in Chelsea’s team has been evident in the Premier League, despite the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino. A second defeat of the season came against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with Pochettino worryingly suggesting a lack of maturity.
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“This type of game will help us to be more mature and learn the competition. It is not only to have quality, after it’s about to compete in a different way,” the Chelsea boss said afterwards.
“To match their aggression to match energy, to match desire. Of course we were better, we cannot say that we didn’t deserve but in football the stats sometimes reflect what you do but in that case we create but we didn’t score.
“[There were] few shots on target and we should have more. That is about the process, all of the team.”
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