Chelsea's struggles raise concerns over the club's muddled recruitment policy... with Mauricio Pochettino's squad lacking leadership, team spirit and experience

Chelsea's transfer decisions are under scrutiny amid internal concerns over the club’s £1billion recruitment drive.

Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure following a difficult first season at the club that leaves them languishing in 11th place in the Premier League.

His position is not believed to be under immediate danger, with the club’s preference to see out the season before reviewing Pochettino’s performance ahead of next season.

Pertinently, however, Mail Sport understands that if the club’s season continues to deteriorate, then those plans could be brought forward.

But while the Argentine’s performance is under review, the spotlight is shifting towards those in charge of player recruitment as the club identify factors behind their struggles despite spending heavily on new players.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure following a difficult first season at Chelsea

Paul Winstanely, Laurence Stewart and Joe Shields all hold senior recruitment positions and have focused their attentions on recruiting young players. But there is a feeling behind the scenes that the team lacks leadership and experience.

Traditionally, the club have relied upon senior professional such as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech to uphold standards, but also to ensure the manager’s tactical instructions are implemented on the pitch.

But in Sunday’s 4-2 home loss to Wolves, only Thiago Silva and substitute goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli were aged over 30 in the match-day squad.

One Premier League coach told Mail Sport on Monday that they have deliberately targeted Chelsea’s young core as a specific weakness this season.

Sources have indicated the fact there are at least three different recruitment voices has led to difficulties in implementing a clear transfer strategy in the post-Roman Abramovich era.

There are also concerns that their policy of signing younger players has led to complications in the team adapting to different tactics and patterns of play, particularly when they have arrived from teams with defined tactical structures.

Additionally, squad moral is said to be noticeably low at the Chelsea’s Cobham HQ.

Insiders close to the first-team squad describe an atmosphere of players leaving as soon as they can after training is finished, with squad members rarely staying behind to complete extra work.

There are also concerns over players' ability to receive analytical information. Certain players are also said to have shown difficulty in an accepting critical feedback.

And while there is an acknowledgement behind the scenes that Pochettino hasn’t performed as expected, it is also noted that there are a number of mitigating factors linked to the team’s poor season - namely injuries.

The fact the Argentine has had little or no influence over the club’s recruitment strategy is also recognised. The club didn’t sign a single player in January, despite Pochettino wanting a left-back and striker.

Meanwhile, there are fears that Conor Gallagher’s value is plummeting ahead of the summer transfer window.

The England midfielder, who has regularly captained the side this season, were among the players the club considered selling in January.

But his £50million valuation is likely to drop considerably as he enters the final 12 months of his deal at the end of the season.

Provided he doesn’t sign a new deal between now and the summer, Chelsea will have to consider offers for Gallagher in the next window or risk losing him on a free transfer in 2025.

However, it is unlikely now that Chelsea will recoup the £50million they want for Gallagher which will have consequences on Chelsea’s summer spending power.