Chelsea have been told they still have the 'flexibility' to splash out in the January transfer window as manager Mauricio Pochettino looks to continue building his squad despite Financial Fair Play (FFP) concerns.
The Blues boss hasn't been shy of asking for more players despite the heavy incomings and outgoings he oversaw in his first few weeks at Stamford Bridge over the summer as he enacted one of the biggest dressing room clear-outs in the club's history. 23 players were shown the door - 17 permanently - after the torrid season under the guidance of Graham Potter and Frank Lampard the year prior to his arrival and he's continuing to meld the club in his own image.
After the loss to Everton earlier in the season, Pochettino admitted that his side perhaps needed a reality check and that could included looking at options in the transfer market when it eventually opens in the New Year. He said: "After five months, we need to check that is the reality. If we do not receive enough, maybe we need to do something, some movement that is a thing to analyse with the sporting director, the owner and to change the dynamic and to improve in the second part of the season because we need to be more aggressive.
"I think it's one thing, before we talk about performance or system or everything, what happens is little by little to change the mentality, to fight expectation and reality. Expectation is massive, Chelsea always expectation is to win the Premier League and after is the reality. The team is still fighting for different circumstances.
"Sometimes it's good, reality check, we need to fight. If we want to win it is to be more ruthless in our behaviour. Not because we are Chelsea we are going to win games, not because we are Chelsea we play well and deserve, that is our reality. If we want to go up, it's not only playing well, it's about being tough with ourselves. We are going to push the player, the players need to push themselves also.
"Then there's a massive assessment from the beginning of the season, from day one until today. When the transfer window opens, we will see what we can do. I will not say I need to ask for more player or less player but it's to see if the perception matches the reality. Is expectation here, reality here because we are missing something in the middle. That is the reality, maybe we need to improve our reality."
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The enormous spending under new owner Todd Boehly has been well documented at this point - the £1bn figure often gets thrown around without any real context behind it but the truth is that the Blues are steadily climbing out of the sudden and violent stagnation they experienced last season.
With a lot of that billion went on young players now tied down to long seven, eight-year contracts that are under extreme pressure alongside their manager from a hungry fanbase that isn't used to second place let alone 12th, it stands to reason that there have been concerns around their standing within the FFP rules.
Football finance expert Kieron Maguire has claimed that people are distracted by the spending Chelsea have been doing over the past few seasons rather than the enormous sales they've amassed. He told I news : "Whilst all the focus is on incomings, Chelsea have been the most successful club in the Premier League when it comes to player sales.
"Over the last decade player sale profits - which is the figure used for Financial Fair Play/Profit and Sustainability Rules calculations - were £706m, nearly twice as much as the second most successful Big Six club Liverpool at £387m, and Manchester United have only generated £133m. These player sales allow Chelsea some flexibility in terms of potential recruitment in the January window."
It means that the Blues are able to, if they wanted, make some serious waves in the winter market and secure themselves both a continued avenue for their youth project as well as experienced heads that can help guide them through the second half of their debut season under Pochettino
