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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Nizaar Kinsella

Mauricio Pochettino quizzed on Chelsea interest in Jordan Henderson amid talk of Premier League return

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea are "not talking about players" after being asked whether he will bring Jordan Henderson back to the Premier League.

The Argentine was quizzed on the midfielder after reports emerged that he is ready to return to England following a frustrating spell in Saudi Arabia.

The former Liverpool captain hasn't haven't won in over two months at Al-Ettifaq, with Steven Gerrard managing the cash-rich club.

Asked about whether such a move may interest Chelsea, Pochettino said: “We didn't talk about names. At the moment, we are not talking about players.

"I saw Behdad [Eghbali], with Paul [Winstanley] and Laurence [Stewart]. I think we are going to have a chat tomorrow. We didn't talk about names or players. For now, we are focusing on players like Andrey Santos.”

The Blues are not expected to be very active in January but are weighing up whether to re-introduce 19-year-old midfielder Santos, having recalled him from a disappointing Nottingham Forest loan spell.

It is unlikely to be a busy transfer window for the Blues (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

The one-time Brazil international was left out of Chelsea's 4-0 win over Preston in the FA Cup third-round match at Stamford Bridge.

Armando Broja scored a crucial opening goal after a poor first-half display, which Pochettino hopes will lift him and the wider group, adding: "I need to be honest, he needs to use this type of game when he scores a goal and feels the net to improve.

"Improve not only his fitness or his capacity of work ethic but also in his body language. He needs to step up and go forward; he needs to smile more and be a little bit more positive.

"This is the way he is going to improve his game. The potential is amazing. We are talking about one of the young strikers here in England or Europe with the most potential.

"The only problem now is he needs to push himself, and we will help him realise he is aggressive enough. By the way, he suffered a big injury in the past. He was nearly away for one year.

"He needs time. It is not easy for him to perform or be at the level we expect. But our expectation is massive. We really believe in him."

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