Chelsea could be looking to make a repeat of their Malo Gusto (left) signing with another young French full-back, this time Brest's Bradley Locko (right).

Todd Boehly set to hatch Malo Gusto transfer repeat amid Chelsea next manager search

The Blues owner has not let the search for a new manager slow down their hunt in the transfer market ahead of the summer window

26 May 2024, 12:11 by Oliver Jones · football.london

Just three days after their season ended, a search for a new manager began. It's a place that, for Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly, is becoming something of a second home.

Just 11 months after arriving at Stamford Bridge, Mauricio Pochettino walked away from the job after a two-day meeting with the American and his sporting directors following discussions around transfer policy. He was the fifth person to take charge of the Blues in the two years that Boehly has been at the top and now they're on the lookout for a sixth.

A myriad of names have been floated as potential candidates including Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, Brentford boss Thomas Frank and Leicester City's Enzo Maresca. Others rumoured would see sensational returns for either Thomas Tuchel or even Jose Mourinho but any hope of either of the pair managing the Blues again under the new ownership looks increasingly unlikely.

Despite everything that's happening behind the scenes with the dugout situation though, it's clear that it hasn't dissuaded the Blues from flexing their muscles in the transfer market. With rumours swirling around the futures of a number of their stars, including Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, Boehly is still looking to make an impressive splash this summer.

Having already spent over £1 billion on arrivals over the last two years, there are inevitable concerns around where the club stands on the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules but many of those worries have been alleviated by the large amount of player sales the Blues have made over the past few seasons, with Mason Mount's £55m move to Manchester United and Kai Havertz's £65m deal with Arsenal two key pieces of business.

One of those arrivals was 21-year-old Malo Gusto, who first joined the club at the young age of 19 for a modest fee of just £25m, from Olympique Lyon on a seven-year deal that will see him stay at the club until 2030. The French international was initially signed to act as an understudy to club captain and starting right-back Reece James but amid a slew of injuries for the England international, Gusto has consistently proven himself capable in the Premier League.

The star's nine assists across all competitions this season have proven vital in helping them return to European football under Pochettino and now Boehly could be looking to make a similar move after what has been a great success for the Blues so far in the form of Brest left-back Bradley Locko.

The 22-year-old has been a vital part of Brest's impressive third-place finish in Ligue 1, just six points behind runners-up Monaco, and it's believed that Eric Roy's side are willing to part with Locko for only £25m - the same price Chelsea entered the market for Gusto for.

Locko's statistics are also very impressive, ranking above Chilwell and Cucurella in Long Pass Completion percentage, Ball recoveries per 90, Progressive passes per 90 and Interceptions per 90 (according to FbRef). Signing a player like Locko will give the Blues far more depth at left-back, something that was evidently lacking following the long-term injuries to both Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell this past season.

Even upon Cucurella's return to full fitness, the Spaniard played far more effectively in an inverted-full-back role moving into midfield in Pochettino's final run of matches, something that the next manager may look to continue implementing after its initial success. If that does happen, simply having an injury-prone Chilwell and Levi Colwill (who looked shaky at best during his run in the position at the start of the season) wouldn't be great cover so making a move for a promising star like Locko, and get ahead in the race against the likes of Man United, West Ham and Newcastle who also have the star on their radar.

football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel

Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!

Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.

Just remember to turn on the notifications once you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!