Chelsea are braced for a huge turnover of players this summer, with Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival set to spark a much-needed overhaul of the squad.
The Blues finished 12th in the Premier League this season after taking just 44 points from 38 games – their lowest total since the 1987/88 campaign, when they were relegated from the top flight. After going through Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, the club have now landed on Pochettino, who will take over from July 1.
It’s now been a year since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the club from Roman Abramovich and their spell so far has been defined by huge expenditure for little return. Around £600million has been spent on transfers, with few – if any – truly looking like good business.
The gigantic outlay has left Chelsea with a hugely bloated squad which desperately needs trimming. Pochettino does not officially start until July 1, but he will be in frequent contact with co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, to get a plan together for when the summer transfer window opens on June 14.
Chelsea’s final game of the season, a 1-1 draw at home with Newcastle, had the distinct feeling of a farewell for many players and at least eight could be axed from the team which turned out at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Five of Lampard's starters – goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, captain Cesar Azpilicueta, midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher and forward Kai Havertz – could leave this summer, as well as substitutes Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic and Joao Felix.
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Mirror Football has reported that Pochettino wants to bring in a new goalkeeper this summer and is therefore open to one of Kepa or Edouard Mendy leaving. Azpilicueta still has a year left on his contract, but he was keen to leave last summer and he could now be allowed to return to Spain with his status as a club legend intact.
Loftus-Cheek is being eyed by AC Milan, while Gallagher has attracted lots of attention from rival Premier League sides, including Crystal Palace. Havertz finished the season as joint top-scorer with nine goals but is now tipped to leave, possibly back to Germany.
Kovacic is about to enter the final year of his contract and has attracted interest from Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Manchester City. An extension has been ruled out, meaning Chelsea are expecting a transfer.
Pulisic has long been earmarked for a departure, having struggled to make an impact ever since his £58m move from Borussia Dortmund in 2019. Felix has shown flashes since joining on loan from Atletico Madrid in January, but the money involved in a potential permanent deal means he is likely to return to Spain.
Mirror Football understands that Pochettino is keen to build from the back around a solid young core of Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Reece James and Ben Chilwell, complimented by the experience of N’Golo Kante.
Question marks remain over Mason Mount, who is heading into the last year of his contract and looks set to depart - but who Pochettino may look to try to persuade to stay and sign a new deal.
