The January transfer window was one of the first in recent history to see Chelsea involved in very few deals. Despite this, the club are clearly planning for the future and identifying key targets. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Blues’ boss Mauricio Pochettino has revealed what specific type of player the team needs to add in the summer in order to be more threatening in attack.
Chelsea Looking to Land a Specialist in the Summer
Pochettino Wants to Recreate West Ham’s Set Piece Success With a Specialist
In his latest interview, the Chelsea boss told the media what exactly the club will be looking for in the summer transfer window. He also shed light on what the team is lacking. According to Nizaar Kinsella’s report, the Argentine manager wants the London side to sign a set-piece specialist to boost their goal threat from set-pieces.
Former Spurs boss discussed the increased specialisation of set-pieces and the increasing role of coaching and analytics in dead-ball situations. However, he hinted that he was concerned about the lack of dead ball specialists in the squad currently and emphasised the need to sign a player with that trait in the next transfer window.
Pochettino compared the Chelsea squad with other Premier League rivals in regards with a specialist set-piece taker. He pointed out the positive results West Ham United have received after signing James Ward-Prowse, who is considered one of the best players in the league at set pieces. Since his arrival, the Hammers have clearly increased their threat from set pieces, in particular corners.
Why Do Chelsea Need a Dead Ball Specialist and What Do the Numbers Say?
Pochettino’s urge to sign a specialist to deliver set-pieces is very well backed by numbers and data. The Premier League giants have scored a total of five goals from dead ball situation in the current season, excluding penalties. This ranks them 12th amongst the 20 Premier League sides.
The two-time Champions League winners currently only have Been Chillwell who can be regarded as a specialist when standing over a dead ball. Willian, Marcos Alonso and Mason Mount were the players present at the club in the past who posed a threat while delivering the ball into the box, either from a corner or free-kick.
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