The unusual reason why Mauricio Pochettino is refusing to deal with agents at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino was handed the rather daunting task of transforming Chelsea into a cohesive and winning team over the summer - but the Argentine appears to have little say in the club's transfer business.

The Blues job has proven to be somewhat of a poisoned chalice following Todd Boehly's £4.25 billion takeover in May 2022, with both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard unable to turn the tides at Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino looked to the man who could save them, but the former Tottenham Hotspur manager hasn't found it any easier than his predecessors.

Consecutive defeats against Manchester United and Everton have left the club languishing in 12th place in the Premier League table, with little sign of improvement under the new manager.

However, it has emerged that Pochettino has little influence in Chelsea's transfer strategy and actively refuses to deal with the agents of potential targets.

That's according to a report from The Daily Mail, who claim that the 51-year-old "fears being used as a pawn by agents willing to tell club recruitment staff that the Chelsea boss fancies their player in hope of leveraging a move for their client."

The publication adds that Pochettino "will have significant involvement over talent indication ahead of the transfer window", though "his involvement will be restricted to making technical recommendations".

That is despite his plea for the west London side to spend more money in the winter market.

Pochettino's hands-off approach may be down to director of global talent and transfers Paul Winstanely, technical director Laurence Stewart, and Behdad Eghbali, who tend to deal with players' agents and intermediaries after Boehly took a step back over the summer.

The report explains that Pochettino had "very minimal input into the summer transfer window", meaning the club's recruitment team must take some of the responsibility for the players' poor form this season.

It remains to be seen whether the ex-Paris Saint-Germain coach will have more of an influence on Chelsea's transfer business in January, having reportedly struck up a good working relationship with Stewart.

However, it is thought that Pochettino's reluctance to advise his colleagues on potential signings may be down to a lack of understanding regarding the market.