The Todd Boehly Effect: Transforming Stamford Bridge into a Midfield Powerhouse

A new era at Stamford Bridge has just begun. Although the ‘Todd Boehly effect’ came to break the market with a checkbook, the American businessman has managed to give Mauricio Pochettino one of the strongest and most attractive midfielders on the entire continent. Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, the most recent addition, Roméo Lavia, together with youth squad Conor Gallagher, names that any Premier League team would like to have due to their quality and, above all, age. A young midfielder who will be able to rule the British Isles with an iron fist for the next decade.

It all started with the mega transfer of Enzo Fernández. The Argentine, brand new world champion in Qatar 2022, managed to leave sparkles last season, but a lack of productivity was blamed on him above. In a team that was leaking on all sides, Fernández became the metronome of Stamford Bridge, moving away from the rival goal as the days of his best passed to take care of the ball out and game distribution. Little by little, criticism began to reach the player, blaming his low goalscoring productivity on his incessant effort when defending. The arrival of Mauricio Pochettino on the bench of the two-time European champion has changed the whole panorama.

“One midfield to rule them all”

The new coach was clear with Todd Boehly, if they wanted to go back to competing one on one against the almighty Manchester City and once again face Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and the two surprises of the season, Brighton and Newcastle, the center of the field should shine with its own light. Together with Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernández, Pochettino has seen how Todd Boehly’s checkbook would reopen to meet his needs with two pure talents, Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia.

The Ecuadorian case is well known. The most expensive player in the history of the Premier League, the pivot comes from shining with Brighton, being one of the absolute leaders of the team and a key player for Roberto De Zerbi to qualify for Europe for the first time in its history. Caicedo stood out in his passage through the Amex Stadium due to his physical prowess. A modern ‘box to box’ that was characterized as a true ‘octopus’, that is, his lung capacity allowed him to appear anywhere on the field to steal balls. The Ecuadorian, in addition, shares one of the profiles of Enzo Fernández, being one of the most outstanding players of the last Premier in the ball out. Being able to play as a pivot, a position where he stood out the most in Brighton, his versatility also allows him to go up in attack and free himself as a midfielder.

To that of Caicedo, the landing of Roméo Lavia, the all-rounder from Southampton, has just been added. The Englishman, who came from the Manchester City academy, arrives at Chelsea after conquering St. Mary’s Stadium and proclaiming himself one of the great revelations of the entire championship, despite his team’s relegation. Led by the Spanish Rubén Sellés, Lavia managed to carry the defensive aspect of ‘Sotton’ on his back at just 19 years old, acting above all as a pivot. Despite being a more defensive profile than the other two, the Englishman stands out for his dribbling and dribbling one on one when it comes to taking the ball from behind.

Pochettino’s new scheme

With their two new heavyweights, Pochettino and Enzo Fernández, they will be able to put together a Chelsea that, now, will be capable of fighting for everything in the medium term. Between the three they make an average age of only 20’6 years, the youngest in the entire Premier League. Pochettino’s scheme may now vary to a 4-3-3, with Lavia doing the ‘dirty work’ in the pivot to give Caicedo and Enzo Fernández more freedom, the first acting as midfielder and the second more advanced. The Argentine could even advance his position to be able to play between the lines, acting almost as a midfielder or even as a second striker.

The core of the ‘blues’ seems to already have its owners, which would lead Conor Gallagher to be a luxury boost for the former PSG coach. Although the Englishman has offers to leave, Pochettino, for the moment, would have demanded the continuity of his pupil in the event that one of the three a priori starters does not reach the required level or is injured.

Those who come from behind

Chelsea’s quality is not only reflected in these four players. Since the arrival of Todd Boehly at the heart of the Stamford Bridge board, the American has tried to replicate the golden formula of teams like Brighton, signing young talents from ‘exotic’ markets before anyone else so as not to pay an extra cost.

In this way, Chelsea has a South American champion in its lower categories like Andrey Santos, one of the great jewels that have emerged from Brazil in recent times and who a priori will do the ‘military’ on loan this season; Cesare Casadei, on loan to Leicester and Ballon d’Or winner at the U-20 World Cup; or Kendry Páez, a skilled Ecuadorian midfielder just 17 years old for whom they did not hesitate to pay 20 million to Independiente del Valle. Chelsea wants to dominate Europe again.

2023-08-18 11:28:49
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