Chelsea are going to look very different heading into the 2023/24 season. Not only will the club have a new man in charge in Mauricio Pochettino, but the dressing will look very different and much lighter too.
The Blues have moved quickly to shed numbers and have seen the likes of N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic depart already, with the possibility that Hakim Ziyech, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount could all follow before June comes to an end.
On Thursday, Chelsea came to an agreement for a £55 million deal with a further £5m achievable through add-ons with Manchester United for Mount, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek undertook his medical in Milan ahead of a move that could be worth up to £18m.
With Kovacic having left for £30m to Manchester City and there is still a possibility that Conor Gallagher could depart too, it would be understandable if Enzo Fernandez was starting to wonder who he may be partnered with in the centre of the field.
Pochettino is set to officially become Chelsea boss on Saturday and will hope that he does not have to wait long to find out. The Blues have a chance of squeezing deals for Loftus-Cheek and Mount through in time to be utilised in the 2022/23 FFP accounts, and will see a cash injection available to start focusing on business in the opposite direction.
Moises Caicedo is the most pre-eminent figure they are targeting at the moment with Brighton in search of a fee in the region of £80m. It's safe to see he would be among the favourites to join Ferndandez in midfield.
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The likes of Gabriel Veiga has been touted as a potential Mount replacement while Chelsea hold an interest in Romeo Lavia, though there has been little sign that either is currently close to joining the Blues. Pochettino may have to look closer to home before any transformation is complete.
That could see Gallagher come under consideration when his break his finished having joined up with England during the international break, while Andrey Santos will automatically find himself pretty high up the pecking order with few other options available in the early days of pre-season. The 19-year-old departed Brazil earlier in the week with his loan period with Vasco da Gama set to come to an end. Perhaps Lewis Hall will earn time in his favoured position when preparations get underway.
Nevertheless, with pre-season set to begin in earnest next week, Chelsea's plans will be firmly in motion with the countdown on until their trip to the USA. Pochettino will be hoping to build his squad's fitness and to indoctrinate it with his systems.
That so many departures have already been sanctioned, while necessary, must also indicate the next stage of plans is in place. Seeing so many players depart in one position has seen Chelsea dramatically show their habnd, and their next steps will be come clear whether that is through new signings or trusting who remains.
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