Revealed: Mutual demands issued as Chelsea closes in on Mauricio Pochettino capture
Foundering Premier League giants Chelsea may be just days away from confirming a vital piece of yet another reshuffle at Stamford Bridge, with reports from the Daily Mail’s chief football correspondent Sami Mokbel suggesting that the Blues are hopeful of confirming the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino by the end of the week.
The 51-year-old former Tottenham manager looks set to become the third full-time tactician in west London after both Thomas Tuchel and replacement Graham Potter were dismissed by club co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali across what has been a woefully disappointing 2022-23 campaign.
But should the former Argentine international midfielder take charge in the capital, the task at hand is a mighty one. As such, Mokbel’s report details the demands made by both the club and Pochettino which will no doubt dominate much of the summer transfer conversation.
🚨 Mauricio Pochettino wants to ideally add players with Premier League pedigree to Chelsea’s squad and has identified a GK, Midfielder and ST as positions to strengthen. Pochettino has been told that the club must first offload players to make the squad more manageable.…
— Pys (@CFCPys) May 8, 2023
Pochettino is said to be keen to add players of Premier League pedigree into the Blues’ senior setup, with goalkeeper, midfield, and center-forward his likely key targets for strengthening. That will unquestionably lead to links with Spurs star man Harry Kane given the uncertainty surrounding his future in north London, while the possibility of reuniting with his former boss possibly being too good to turn down.
To counter, Chelsea has made it clear to the Argentine that in order for any summer recruitment drive to take place, a large cadre of current playing personnel will have to be jettisoned vis the market before any reinvestment avenues can be explored.
The likes of Kai Havertz, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Kalidou Koulibaly, César Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Armando Broja could all potentially fetch fees during the upcoming summer period, with previous reports suggesting that the Blues must raise at least £100-£150m if they are to avoid FFP sanctions.
Wage cuts are already set to take place as well, with some Blues players seeing as much as 30% of their wages slashed in order for Chelsea to get its house in order.
Though the capture of Pochettino would certainly be a sign that the club are committed to a longer-term approach, the initial phase of reconstruction is a daunting one.
