After arguably the worst season in the club’s Premier League history, Chelsea can begin to look forward as the Mauricio Pochettino era is due to get underway when he officially starts on 1 July.
However, behind the scenes, the Argentine has already been in constant contact with the board regarding the summer dealings.
The fans are rejoicing over a potential double midfield swoop for Manuel Ugarte and Moises Caicedo, whilst the mouthwatering possibility of Victor Osimhen has finally got fans dreaming again.
But, one deal that Pochettino must refrain from is signing Harry Maguire, who has been a disaster for Manchester United in recent times.
What’s the latest on Harry Maguire to Chelsea?
According to The Sun, the Red Devils could include the club captain as a part of a sensational transfer package for Mason Mount, who could be heading in the opposite direction.
The £85m signing “has a decision to make” regarding his future, according to Erik ten Hag but he is yet to clarify such plans.
This outlet also claims that Pochettino tried to sign Maguire whilst he was at Hull City, but the Argentine must now avoid a similar temptation to bring the Englishman to Stamford Bridge, or he risks making his first big blunder as Chelsea boss.
Why should Chelsea avoid Harry Maguire?
Having been a first-team regular under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the 30-year-old flop has only started 16 games in all competitions, with Ten Hag often preferring Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane as his main pairing.
Maguire’s minutes have often only occurred if the aforementioned pair have been injured, and it is easy to understand why his time on the pitch has been so limited.
In Europe’s top five leagues, among his positional peers, the £190k-per-week dud dismally ranks in the bottom 14% for tackles per 90, as well as the lowest 47% for progressive passes per 90, according to FBref.
Whilst certain criticism of the former Leicester star has at times been forced and unwarranted he has undeniably looked way out of his depth for large portions of his Manchester United career and looks unable to play in ten Hag’s possession-based, high-line system.
He has been described as “woeful” by Lianne Sanderson, and he is possibly a worse option than Kalidou Koulibaly, who has endured a torrid debut campaign in England himself.
Across 23 Premier League appearances, the former Napoli stalwart has averaged 2.0 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, whilst Maguire has only managed 0.5 and 0.8 for the same metric.
Furthermore, despite Koulibaly’s occasional recklessness that has led Ian Wright to label him as “fragile”, his pace is infinitely superior which allows him to make quicker recoveries. Meanwhile, the Reds skipper’s laboured style is a real hindrance and one of the main reasons why he has featured so little this term.
If Pochettino wants to maximise his chances of successfully turning around the mess at Chelsea then Maguire must be an idea that is swiftly discarded.
