Mauricio Pochettino has been tasked with the difficult job of trimming down a bloated Chelsea squad – and won't be pulling any punches. The 51-year-old was finally unveiled as the Blues' next head coach on Monday afternoon, signing an initial two-year contract with the option for a third.
football.london understands that an agreement was reached earlier this month following weeks of positive talks. Pochettino will officially start his role as manager on July 1, meaning he has a full pre-season to get his feet under the table and begin planning for next term.
The former Tottenham boss is expected to sanction several departures this summer, with N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek already heavily linked with exits. However, according to the Evening Standard, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be pushed out of the back door first.
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The report states that the 33-year-old striker has been given the 'green light' to find a new club amid interest from a few teams in Saudia Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr earlier this year after he parted ways with Manchester United.
The Evening Standard claim that Chelsea are prepared to take a loss in the £12million they paid for Aubameyang last year. It's said that he is keen on a return to Barcelona – Atletico Madrid and AC Milan are also reportedly interested in his signature too.
In March, the former Arsenal captain was pictured in the Catalan side's dressing room after a dramatic win over Real Madrid, celebrating with former teammate Ferran Torres. Chelsea supporters quickly noticed Aubameyang's social media activity and they were not happy to say the least.
"What can you say about the photo Ferran Torres shared of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrating with the Barcelona squad after they beat Real Madrid on Sunday? It’s shambolic," Stan Collymore told CaughtOffside. "A lot of younger fans will say ‘what’s the problem?’ – but it’s not right.
"This is an elite-level competitive sport – you do not cross certain boundaries and celebrating another team’s victory inside their dressing room is an absolute no-no. He’s a Chelsea player so while he’s there, he should be coming across as blue through and through but he doesn’t.
"He doesn’t really stand for anything, he’s ubiquitous. He’s primed to disappear into the Middle East and Graham Potter will probably be thanking his lucky stars."
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