Exclusive: Liverpool writer discusses if Reds “dodged a bullet” by missing out on Chelsea signing
According to Liverpool FC writer Neil Jones, it would be unfair to claim that the Reds avoided harm by failing to sign Moises Caicedo to a contract with Chelsea during the summer.
The Ecuadorian international made a strong impression during his time at former club Brighton, but he and the rest of the Chelsea team have had a poor start to the season as manager Mauricio Pochettino struggles to maximize the potential of this expensively built Blues team.
However, Jones made it clear that he didn’t necessarily think Liverpool dodged a bullet when Chelsea beat them to Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in his special column for the Daily Briefing.
Jones instead criticized Chelsea’s present leadership because it appears that their haphazard approach to the transfer market is not yielding results or making players feel at ease, which is having an impact on top talent like Caicedo and keeping them from realizing their full potential.
“I don’t think it’s fair, as some fans are saying, to state that Liverpool dodged a bullet with Moises Caicedo, or indeed Romeo Lavia, but his slow start to life at Chelsea does show that recruitment is about more than just spending a lot of money on big names,” Jones said.
Additionally, you need to create a welcoming atmosphere for new recruits, a team where they can excel, and a manager who is adept at utilizing the resources at his disposal.
“Over the past year, Chelsea’s acquisition of players has been significantly more ‘thrilling’ than Liverpool’s, but they lack a framework in which new players can be integrated and excel right away.
Although Mauricio Pochettino is a good manager, he is having issues that Graham Potter and Frank Lampard did. The roster is constantly changing, major players are battling fitness and form while earning huge salaries and transfer fees, and there is an atmosphere of negativity and unhappiness in the club as a whole. And as a result, this group of extremely talented players, who have paid big sums, appears to be significantly less than their total.
Given the talent they have had at their disposal, the Blues’ recent Premier League performance is nothing short of abhorrent. They will get better, and I anticipate Caicedo to play a significant role for them, but I do wonder whether their troubles since Todd Boehly took over would cause players to reconsider whether Stamford Bridge is the best destination for them to move to in the future.
