COMMENT: So this is a new one: it's not that Chelsea's players aren't good enough; it's simply that they're not TALL enough...
Okay, okay, let's tone down the sarcasm, because to be fair, those rumblings coming from those around Mauricio Pochettino do ring true. There is a definite lack of physical presence among Chelsea's midfield options. Even Moises Caicedo barely reaches 5ft 10in. And in the Premier League, these things matter. Think Nemanja Matic, or before him John Obi Mikel. Even 'The Kenyan', Ramires was taller than Caicedo.
It might sound trite. But this again strikes at the problems around Chelsea's transfer policy. A transfer policy which, from these latest complaints, has again proved slapdash.
Because they've missed it. Again. A lack of planning from Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, the club's co-sporting directors, has presented the club with another unnecessary mountain to climb. And in terms of squad management, it will be a mountain. Finding the right midfielder is one thing, but creating room for his addition will be something else altogether.
Chelsea still have Romeo Lavia working his way back from his latest injury blow. Again, the former Southampton midfielder is no giant. So where will he fit when the new man arrives? And what of Lesley Ugochukwu? Particularly with these new limits on loan departures. Where does this new priority leave the French prospect?
Squad planning; this should be the bread n' butter of Winstanley and Stewart. But ever since Todd Boehly and Bedad Eghbali took control, Chelsea's approach to the market has been the stuff of arrows at a dartboard.
And the manager is feeling it. It's becoming obvious by the day. The silly sack rumours are reaching him. Defeat at Everton. The same at Manchester United. Though unwelcome, weren't unexpected. At least not for this Chelsea team. Ravaged by injuries. A team of Premier League rookies thrown together. You can't expect consistency in such a scenario. There'll be peaks and troughs. This is a transitional year if there ever was one.
So Pochettino should be allowed to work in peace. Develop his team's on-field combinations. Their partnerships. Work one-on-one with those, like Mykhaylo Mudryk, who need it. And be allowed to so knowing his job is safe.
But something's changed over the past fortnight. The results. The performances. It's weighing on Pochettino. Whether it's coming from outside - or upstairs - the Argentine is feeling threatened. Suddenly talk of "patience" and "needing time" has been replaced by public declarations of the need for more players. Where barely a month ago Pochettino was shutting down transfer rumours, insisting his young team be allowed to develop. It's now the manager who's making the call to buy again.
"Football is about scoring goals and we were not clinical in front of goal," Pochettino stated after defeat at a raucous Goodison Park.
"I'm really, really disappointed. We didn't get the point we deserved. I think we were better but we didn't get what we wanted.
"This was a game to play and to win. It's a problem we need to check. We need to analyse the reality. We need to talk and to try to improve in the next transfer market."
As we say, something's changed. Pochettino is now talking about buying for an instant jolt. Not developing. Nor gradually improving. He wants signings made who can instantly lift his team. It does sound like Pochettino has seen enough. And perhaps he's ready to insist on the club moving in a new direction.
But this is all being played out knowing that Pochettino, for the moment, doesn't actually have a say on transfer policy. That's left to Winstanley and Stewart. He can make recommendations, sure. But for now, Pochettino must work with what he's been given. And this sudden shift in soundbites suggests he's had enough.
If he's not hearing it. If he's not reading about it. He's certainly feeling it. The sack talk is reaching him. There are now stories out of the local press suggesting Pochettino's position is under threat.
And he's worried. Of course it's crazy. Ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as to plan for a Premier League midfield not to carry any players of over 6ft. But this is Chelsea. Today's Chelsea. And Pochettino is clearly concerned.
