It was a moment Chelsea supporters had been anxiously waiting fore. Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the club's in-house media for the first time as Blues head coach on Monday.
Pochettino officially started his new role as the club's first-team head coach on Monday where he met some of his players for the first time since agreeing to take over and be the permanent successor of Graham Potter. By all accounts, the Argentine seemed to delight the majority of Chelsea supporters with his comments – including some on how the Blues have been the "greatest team in England" over recent seasons.
But one of the more interesting topics of conversation with Pochettino was his view on the current squad. While insisting the squad he has at his disposal is already "unbelievable", the former Tottenham boss elaborated on that and suggested the club still needed to sign more players.
"If we are all together, we are going to be very strong," the new Chelsea head coach explained. "We have an unbelievable squad and for sure are going to bring players with commitment who want to be part of it also. With the fans and everyone, we can find again the way to be successful.
"It is not closed, the squad, and the club is doing a fantastic job to finish the squad so we have the players here to work with us as soon as possible. Together, we are going to be in a perfect situation to work and develop the way we want to apply ourselves on the pitch."
We know Chelsea are working extremely hard behind the scenes to try and offload players and so far they have done a very good job but what about incomings? The Blues are also putting their efforts in to try and improve the squad in time for the start of the 2023/24 season. So, with that said, football.london takes a look at five players Chelsea are currently interested in.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All of the latest updates coming out of Stamford Bridge
Mike Maignan
Chelsea have a serious interest in the AC Milan goalkeeper this summer as there is still some doubt over Kepa Arrizabalaga. The France international, though, is supposedly keen on Champions League football next season, which comes as a blow for the Blues.
Maignan is one of the hottest properties in his position in European football right now meaning he would not come cheap. A source told football.london last month that a deal would be very complicated to strike with Milan for Maignan.
Andre Onana
A more attainable option would be Onana from Inter Milan. While the Champions League runners-up do not want to sell him, there is a school of thought that they would be open to allowing the Cameroonian to leave should an appropriate offer come in.
football.london understands Chelsea have discussed the possibility of bringing Onana to Stamford Bridge during an extensive round of talks with Inter over multiple players. However, Manchester United are very keen on Onana and he also has admirers from the Saudi Pro League.
Moises Caicedo
Chelsea are now pushing forward with their attempts to sign Caicedo from Brighton. football.london has learned that the Blues and the Seagulls have recently reopened talks over a deal for the Ecuadorian midfielder to make the move to west London.
The problem, however, for Chelsea is trying to agree on a fee with Brighton who have proven to be tough negotiators. Brighton want around £80million for Caicedo but Chelsea do not wish to pay that sum in a one-off fee and would rather strike a deal that included add-ons and multiple instalments.
Rayan Cherki
As reported by football.london on Tuesday afternoon, Chelsea hold an interest in Cherki. The Blues watched the 19-year-old on multiple occasions last season for Lyon while their attention was on Malo Gusto and his development with the French club.
Chelsea, though, were very impressed with what they saw from Cherki and are considering making a move for him this summer. With both Kai Havertz and Mason Mount leaving the club, there is an open spot for a new creative midfielder to come in and Cherki, who is seen as one of the brightest prospects in European football at the moment, has been identified as a possible option for the Blues.
