Newly-appointed Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is planning a mass clear-out at the club this summer, with over 10 players set to leave Stamford Bridge.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Chelsea are set to offload—or at least try to offload—a big pool of players in what is expected to be a massive clear-out of the squad ahead of a crucial 2023–24 season as head coach Mauricio Pochettino looks to have a clear idea of what he has to work with in pre-season.
As the dust settles on another Premier League season, most managers will be switching off for a few weeks of relaxation before planning for the next campaign. But for new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, the work starts immediately as he aims to rebuild the side after a disastrous campaign.
Chelsea ended the campaign 12th in the Premier League table, the club’s lowest league finish since 1993/94 — hardly what new co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali imagined when they swooped in after the unprecedented collapse of the Roman Abramovich era.
Results have been so disappointing that two managers were sacked this season: Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter. Frank Lampard steered the drowning ship to the end of the season as interim manager, but he managed only one win in his nine Premier League games in charge.
This is why the summer break couldn’t have come at a better time for the West London club, as they need some major surgery if they are to re-establish themselves as potential top-four contenders alongside Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, and even Newcastle United next season.
Pochettino faces many challenges and will want full control of everything that goes on the pitch. The former Spurs boss wants a core group of young players that he can rely on throughout next season. And the above report suggests the Blues are working hard with their new boss to reshape and slim down their first-team squad.
Chelsea loan star Joao Felix has become the first casualty of their ruthless summer trimming. The Portuguese star will not be signed permanently from Atletico Madrid in the summer. Despite showing flashes of his brilliance, Felix has failed to justify his hype as one of the most promising young players in Europe.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Callum Hudson-Odoi could follow him out of the door. Star loanees Ethan Ampadu and Malang Sarr will also be offloaded permanently in a bid to raise some vital funds from sales. Others who may depart include Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, and Mateo Kovacic.
Meanwhile, Kovacic and Mason Mount have both been heavily linked with moves away in the upcoming summer transfer window. Mount, whose existing contract expires next summer, is not on the chopping list, but he could be offloaded as well due to the contract renewal impasse and the Blues’ need for money to comply with financial fair play, with the sale of an academy product recorded as pure profit in the club’s financial records.
It’s going to be a summer of upheaval at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea seems to have landed the perfect man to lift them out of oblivion, but the clock is already ticking and there is no time to waste at all.