Pochettino clear on Henderson transfer amid Premier League return talk
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted "we are not about players" after he was asked about bringing Jordan Henderson back to the Premier League.
Henderson, 33, is eyeing a return to England after struggling during his first six months out in Saudi Arabia. The England international joined Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in July, but the midfielder has failed to settle in the Middle East and will consider offers the club receive this month, according to the Daily Mail.
Al-Ettifaq, who have gone nine matches without a win dating back to October, are not back in action until mid-February due to the Saudi Pro League winter break. And Henderson has now told his team-mates he is contemplating his future before jetting off on a short holiday.
When quizzed about whether Chelsea could move for Henderson, Pochettino replied: "We didn't talk about names. At the moment, we are not talking about players.
"I saw Behdad [Eghbali], with Paul [Winstanley] and Laurence [Stewart]. I think we are going to have a chat tomorrow. We didn't talk about names or players. For now, we are focusing on players like Andrey Santos."
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Chelsea could lose midfielder Conor Gallagher in January, with Tottenham linked with a move for the England international. Gallagher is valued at around £60million and if the Blues decide to sell the academy graduate, Pochettino may look to bring someone else through the door.
Conor Gallagher has been linked with a move away from Chelsea this month (Getty Images)The Blues are not expected to be busy during the January transfer window but are contemplating whether to re-integrate Andrey Santos into the first team after he was recalled from his disappointing loan at Nottingham Forest. The 19-year-old has not played a senior minute for Chelsea and featured once during his stint at Forest.
On the pitch, Chelsea made it three successive victories with a comfortable 4-0 success over Preston. Armando Broja gave the Blues the lead in the 58th minute before goals from Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandez wrapped up the win as they progressed to the FA Cup fourth round.
Speaking after the game, Pochettino heaped praise on Broja's performance and his importance in the side, with Senegal's Nicolas Jackson at the Africa Cup of Nations. "It's really important for him but I need to be honest, I think he needs to use this kind of game to score a goal and feel the net and to improve," said Pochettino.
"Improve not only in his fitness or his capacity for work ethic but in his body language also. He needs to step up and go forward, smile and be a little bit more positive. I told him when he goes out there to smile. In a positive way, he needs to enjoy it more, smile and laugh, fill himself with more good energy and be a happy boy."
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