Mauricio Pochettino looks set to dig his heels in and block the sale of Conor Gallagher. The 23-year-old midfielder faces an increasingly uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea under pressure to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.
After just a year at the helm, Todd Boehly has committed over half a billion pounds to player signings and the Blues are yet to trim down their bloated squad. If Gallagher, or any other Cobham graduate, is sold then their sale will be registered as complete profit on the books.
While his potential exit would be far more financially rewarding than most, Pochettino looks set to scrap the west Londoners' plan. According to the Evening Standard, the 51-year-old had identified Gallagher as one of four players could be key to his project, along with Mason Mount, Levi Colwill and Reece James.
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The report adds that Pochettino wants to build his Chelsea side around of core of young, homegrown, academy players – just like he did at Tottenham with Harry Kane, Andros Townsend and Ryan Mason. football.london understands that the Blues agreed a deal to make the former Spurs boss the club's new manager.
After weeks of positive conversations and talks between the two parties, Pochettino is set to takeover from Frank Lampard at the end of the season. It's believed that the Argentine is yet to put pen to paper, but he's expected to do so in the coming days.
He'll have a full pre-season to get his feet under the table and begin planning for next season. Despite Chelsea's misfortunes this season, Gallagher, who is valued at £26million, has proven that he's capable of playing a role in the west Londoners' new-look side.
Discussing the Argentine's potential move on The Overlap, Gary Neville heaped tremendous praise on Pochettino. The former Manchester United defender said: "I think he [Pochettino] is a really talented coach.
"I think Chelsea next year could really surprise us. Pochettino will bring the club together because he will; he’s likeable, and the players will respect him enormously.
"I think he’ll do a very, very good job next season. He’ll cover a lot of the stuff that’s going on behind the scenes is my prediction. Those players are perfect for Pochettino; they are talented and young, but they just need direction."
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