Any question marks over whether Mauricio Pochettino was cut throat enough to walk into Chelsea and get rid of underperforming players hasn't taken long to be dispelled.
After a 2022/23 campaign that was beyond dubious in terms of money spent and signings made, the Argentine is in the midst of a firesale that has seen six players sold. And he's not done there, with five more first-team stars set to head for the exit door in a mass exodus that could ultimately recuperate around £250million.
Cynics could point to the Financial Fair Play limits as the primary motivation for Chelsea's clinical work. Any deals completed on June 30 means they will be included in the London club's accounts for the 2022/23 campaign, therefore balancing the books after the £600 million spent in the two transfer windows overseen by Todd Boehly.
