Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has said trophies can't be bought ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday, claiming football is not an 'ordinary business'.
Victory against Jurgen Klopp's side at Wembley would be Chelsea's first piece of silverware since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022.
The club have surpassed over £1B in transfer fees in that time, smashing the British transfer record twice in under a year, with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo moving to Stamford Bridge for £107M and £115M respectively.
But, despite the substantial financial outlay, the team has taken more retrograde steps than forward ones. Last season The Blues recorded their lowest top-flight finish since 1994, finishing 12th.
Pochettino's side currently languish in 10th, 17 points adrift of Champions League qualification.
Asked about the club's extortionate spending and a potential first trophy under the new ownership, the Chelsea manager said: “It’s not easy in football [to win trophies], it's not an ordinary business. It's not an ordinary business. It's not a normal business, football.
"Of course I never underestimate people but they know that it’s not only to spend money in football. It's not only to spend money, of course it helps, but you need time when you want to build something. And that is the process that we are involved in now, to try to build something that provide us to be close to win titles.
“You cannot buy victories, you cannot buy trophies. That is the most important thing, I don’t want to underestimate anyone here but I think money helps, but not to win trophies.”
He added: “We were talking from the beginning of the season that we need a team to match the mentality of this football club.
"Winning titles, I think, is going to be a good way to arrive in this capacity, to be strong in how you compete; I think yes, for me, it's important [to win] to create a winning mentality, you know, its about to compete and to win, compete and to win. Because if you compete and you lose it’s very frustrating.
"But I think it's about to go there and compete, knowing that in the final you need to play and compete in a different way. And I think we are going to try to translate our experience to the players and for sure a final is about to win and we need to win because its useful. If you don’t win and finish second it’s the worst thing in the world."
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'It changed my career'
The Argentinian, 18 at the time, won his first career trophy with Newell's Old Boys in 1991.
Pochettino says the experience changed his career and will be hoping to give some of his players their first taste of silverware at Wembley on Sunday.
He said: “Yes of course it changed my career [winning the first trophy] in the way that people perceive you and see you and then the belief. I think it's important, that is why when you are in the training ground it’s really important to be focused and train for the players.
"Because that is going to provide you the capacity to compete better and change your career, because we want to build our careers and their careers in winning games and trophies. Because, yes, it's nice to play football with your friends, but when you go here and you put your Chelsea shirt [on] it's about to compete, it's completely different.”
