Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has been warned that Conor Gallagher, Nicolas Jackson and Lesley Ugochukwu are ‘not good enough’ to be playing for the Blues on a regular basis. Pochettino has overseen a torrid start to his reign in west London, with Chelsea stuck firmly in mid-table after winning just four Premier League matches all season.
Their latest defeat came at the hands of Newcastle over the weekend as the Magpies ran riot to secure a 4-1 victory over the west Londoners, who had Reece James sent off in the second half. Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol was particularly unimpressed with Gallagher, Jackson and Ugochukwu, saying after the full-time whistle that none of the trio are good enough to be Chelsea players.
“They’ve got players playing that shouldn’t be playing in a team that’s supposed to be in the top four, let me put it that way,” said Nicol in his role as a pundit on ESPN. “You know, Jackson up front isn’t good enough, Gallagher’s not good enough. Ugochukwu today showed that I don’t think he’s good enough.”
Gallagher has been one of Pochettino’s most trusted players so far this season, with the England ace having started every league game for the Blues. Jackson has also featured heavily as a central striker, while Ugochukwu has mainly been forced to settle for a spot on the bench but was given the nod against Newcastle.
It remains to be seen if Chelsea will look to the January market in order to strengthen their squad for the business end of the campaign. They have been the Premier League’s biggest spenders over the last two years, with Jackson and Ugochukwu being signed for a combined total of £58million during the summer.
The Blues have already been linked with several possible targets, including the likes of Napoli forward Victor Osimhen and Benfica midfielder Joao Neves. Both players would be certain upgrades on Jackson and Ugochukwu if they end up moving to Stamford Bridge, but only time will tell if Chelsea will be able to snap them up when the bidding opens at the turn of the year.
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