Mauricio Pochettino has warned Todd Boehly and Chelsea’s owners against buying a football club in Argentina.
Chelsea launched a multi-club model in June when BlueCo, the club’s ownership group, bought a majority stake in French side Strasbourg for £65million.
In January, Argentina’s president Javier Milei claimed that Chelsea wanted to add a major Argentine club to their model – and backed the idea.
‘It’s so difficult because Argentina is a country where it is not normally like here, where people arrive from outside and buy clubs,’ said Chelsea’s Argentine boss.
Mauricio Pochettino has cautioned Chelsea’s owners against investing in an Argentine club
The country’s president, Javier Milei, claimed in January that Chelsea were ‘willing’ to invest in one of the country’s top clubs
‘The fans, they feel they belong to the club and the club belongs to them, and it’s not easy to change the mentality. Maybe in time, yes, but at the moment I don’t believe it is going to be easy to buy a club there.
‘But, of course, the president has new ideas and he wants to help the country and the people to have better lives. It’s a difficult situation, but all the Argentines, we are going to support and we are going to do everything to try to help the country, Argentina, to stay in a better situation.’
Milei, Argentina’s new president, had said: ‘There is a willingness to invest which has been expressed by Chelsea in the case of wanting to buy Boca, Racing, Newell’s, Lanús and Estudiantes.
“I am a fan of Boca [Juniors] and if investment groups come to Boca and invest a fortune, and that means Boca always wins and River [Plate] are not able to win a single game, the question is ‘where do I sign?’
Pochettino began his football career at Newell’s Old Boys, one of Argentina’s most iconic clubs where Lionel Messi also spent some of his youth career.
He added: ‘I want to invite the president of Argentina [to Chelsea]. The other day, we made ‘Argentina Day’ here because we always try to celebrate things and create a nice atmosphere at the training ground. The staff did fantastic in the kitchen and the canteen.
‘Our club photographer, Darren, took pictures and now I am sending them to a friend who is a friend of the president to say ‘look Chelsea’. If he’s in London one day, we want to invite him to come here because he loves football.’
Multi-club ownership is becoming increasingly common.
Todd Boehly took the first step in building a multi-club model when he invested in Strasbourg last year
Strasbourg ultras displayed a sign that read ‘Boehly not welcome’ after Chelsea’s investment in the club
Milei named Boca Juniors as one of the clubs that Chelsea are interested in investing in
The City Football Group are the foremost proponents, with total or partial ownership of 13 teams around the world.
It can bring tension with fanbases feeling as if their club is being stripped of a unique identity.
Strasbourg fans have continually protested against Boehly and have insisted that Chelsea’s owners will ‘never be welcome’.
Often, the lower-status clubs in multi-club models are used as testing grounds for young players, something which irks fans.
There are also success stories. Girona, part of the City Football Group, are second in LaLIga despite it being just their fourth season in the Spanish top flight.
