Mauricio Pochettino will have his new Christian Eriksen if Chelsea sign ‘fantastic’ £40m target – TCC View

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Mauricio Pochettino will have his new Christian Eriksen if Chelsea sign Leicester City’s James Maddison this summer.

Chelsea’s new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, will officially take charge at Stamford Bridge at the start of next month.

Blues supporters are desperate for any clues to see how the team will shape up next season under the new manager, which is why looking back to his previous sides could be a good indicator.

If you’re looking for answers on why Pochettino was so popular and successful at Tottenham, the way he set up a front four to attack was crucial. In particular, the influence of attacking midfielder Eriksen was a major driving force.

So where can ‘Poch’ find his new creative general at Chelsea?

In our view, James Maddison is the perfect player that can suit Chelsea in a new era under Pochettino.

Well-respected journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on his Substack this week that Leicester playmaker Maddison is a genuine target for Chelsea ahead of the summer transfer window. He’s not considered a priority at this moment, though.

We think Chelsea should ramp up interest in the “fantastic” 26-year-old, who The Sun report may be available for £40million this summer following Leicester’s relegation.

Regular Leicester watchers will know Maddison is great with both feet, super creative and miles too good to be in the Championship next year.

For us, we actually see a lot of similarities between the England international and how Pochettino used Eriksen at Spurs. The way that both start from a right wing position and drift inside to create is very alike.

31-year-old Eriksen, who’s now at Manchester United, is the perfect indicator of the type of intelligent attacking midfielder Poch likes to work with.

Eriksen played 255 games with the Argentine coach in the dugout, making him the most used player of Pochettino’s entire managerial career to date. Incidentally, he scored 58 goals and made 76 assists in that time.

Journalist Simon Phillips reported on his Substack last month that Pochettino was eyeing Mason Mount to play ‘the Eriksen role’ next season at Chelsea in a 4-2-3-1 formation. But of course, Mount is strongly linked with a move away from the club this summer.

If Mount’s not in the picture for next season, Pochettino should be pushing Chelsea hard to make Maddison his first marquee signing.