07 March 2024 , 15:35
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Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he has not spoken to Todd Boehly or the Chelsea board after the club announced their annual financial results.
The Blues have been criticised for their spending choices since a consortium led by Boehly took over from Roman Abramovich in May 2022. Chelsea confirmed in a statement on Thursday morning that they have recorded losses of £90.1million in the first full year under the new ownership.
That has raised fresh doubts over their ability to meet strict Profit and Sustainability rules. The Blues' latest loss, up to the period ending June 2023, comes following a loss of £121.1m during the previous year. Speaking ahead of their game against Newcastle, Pochettino was asked about the club's financial situation and revealed he has not spoken to the owners or sporting directors about the results.
Pochettino said: "Look, I am transparent. Charlie [press officer] told me one minute ago about this. I have not spoken to the owners or sporting directors because we were training. Maybe tomorrow we will have better information and I can explain next time my opinion."
Despite spending over £500m across the 2022/23 season, Chelsea finished 12th last term. They continued their mass spending upon Pochettino's appointment back in May and smashed their transfer record with the signing of Moises Caicedo for £115m, while Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Robert Sanchez were among their other big-money arrivals.
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Although the Blues have signed more than 25 players within the last two years, the ongoing risk of a breach of Profit and Sustainability rules makes signing more players in the summer complicated. Asked if the club can spend further, Pochettino added: "I don't know because I need also to be informed.
Mauricio Pochettino during Chelsea's draw against Brentford."Until today, we didn't talk about that and the club today announced the financial. For sure, this afternoon or tomorrow, we will talk and I will be informed. I don't know what is going to happen."
Ahead of Monday's clash against Newcastle, the Blues sit 11th in the Premier League table and a mammoth 19 points behind fourth-place Aston Villa. "The important thing is to focus on ourselves, on our performance and how we are going to deal with injuries," the Argentine admitted. "We know Newcastle and can assess them but it's about finding the balance in our team to be consistent."