Todd Boehly, a co-owner of Chelsea, has stated that he will not fire manager Graham Potter if the club fails to finish in the top four in the Premier League.
Potter took over for Thomas Tuchel in September, but has had a difficult time in charge of the Blues.
They were defeated 1-0 by Manchester City on Thursday night, dropping the club to tenth place, ten points behind the top four.
After firing Tuchel, Boehly took a long-term approach, offering Potter a five-year deal worth £50 million.
The American believes Potter can build a winning team by developing the players at his disposal and investing financially, and he will not be fired even if Chelsea finishes outside the top four.
Boehly's approach appears to be distinct from that of former owner Roman Abramovich, who employed 14 managers over the course of his two-decade tenure.
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Tim Vickery, Sky Sports' South American expert, has praised Newcastle United target Matheus Franca as a player with real talent during the January transfer window.
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The Magpies have been linked with a move for the Flamengo youngster this month as Eddie Howe looks to bolster Tyneside's fight for a place in the Champions League.And, according to the dependable journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Magpies will resume their pursuit of the 18-year-old in the coming days.
Franca has only made 25 appearances for the Brazilian team, but he has found the back of the net six times (via Transfermarkt).
Despite the fact that the majority of his appearances have come from the bench, Vickery has been impressed by the youngster from what he has seen in the early stages of his career in Brazil:(27:50) "He plays as an attacking midfielder. And there is some genuine talent there. He has excellent ball control. He has a beautiful shoulder dip.
"As I previously stated, Flamengo are the experts in this model. They make promises. They got rid of Vinicius Jr. They sold Lucas Paqueta, and they sold promises in order to bring back European players.
"Flamengo has a very strong team. They are the South American champions. When they're at full strength, it's difficult for Matheus Franca to get a game. So I believe Flamengo would be willing to sell him if the price was right."
The Magpies are flying high in the Premier League this season, with a firm grip on the top four after a strong start to the 2022/23 season.
However, Eddie Howe believes that this month's transfer window may be hampered by the need to adhere to FFP regulations.
With this in mind, it appears that big money moves for their rumored target James Maddison may be delayed until the summer window, when funds may be more readily available for the Toon.
And, given that funds for big moves this month may not be available, this appears to be giving PIF an opportunity to build for the future through young prospects like Franca.
Newcastle have already seen Garang Kuol arrive on Tyneside following his summer signing after Newcastle identified the Australian as a potential future star.
However, it will be interesting to see if the potential signing of Franca will see the Brazilian play a role in Howe's squad for the rest of the season if he does join.
With so few games in his homeland and at such a young age, it would make sense for the Magpies to loan him back to Flamengo or find him a possible short-term deal with a European club, as they appear to be doing with Kuol.
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