Mauricio Pochettino left fuming as Newcastle United enter race to sign midfielder who was close to joining Chelsea - Reports
Newcastle United will reportedly provide competition to Chelsea in the race for Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Moscardo. According to Brazilian outlet IG Esporte, the Magpies have entered the race for the 17-year-old, with other top European clubs interested as well.
The Blues were seemingly keen on securing a deal for the youngster in the summer window. However, the report claims that they were put off by Corinthians' massive asking price of €30 million. The London side had put in a bid of €21 million which was rejected.
Moscardo is considered one of the hottest young prospects from South America. Newcastle are now interested in completing a move for him in January but could face stiff competition.
Manchester United have an eye on the player as well, according to the report. Barcelona sporting director Deco also considers the player a good pick for the No. 6 position, while other Premier League sides like Everton and Nottingham Forest have also shown interest.
Eddie Howe's side have already made strong investments for the future this season, signing the likes of Lewis Hall, Yankuba Minteh and Garang Kuol.
Mauricio Pochettino backs Chelsea star to come good after tough start
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that summer signing Nicolas Jackson is a fantastic player who needs time to develop. The forward has had a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge but the Argentine tactician is confident he will come good for Chelsea.
During the pre-match press conference ahead of their Premier League clash against Aston Villa, he said:
"But Jackson is 22, he’s young. He needs to learn, needs to improve, needs to settle. He’s going to be a fantastic player. But he needs time. I like to make similarities with players at other clubs. Jackson is a fantastic player but he needs to be calm and relaxed in front of goal. I said remember Vinicius, he took three seasons, or two and a half seasons, to perform (at Real).
"We’re talking about young players. You can blame us, blame me. We can talk about tactics. But they need time. There’s no doubt we have amazing talent on the team, but now they need time to settle."
The Senegal international arrived from Spanish side Villarreal in a move worth €35 million this summer. He had a terrific pre-season but has since gone on to score only once in five league appearances.
His struggles in front of goal have come to the forefront amidst Chelsea' tough start. The Blues have just one win from their first five games and are currently 14th in the table.