Chelsea confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as new head coach on Monday, tasking the Argentinean with reviving their fortunes after a forgettable 2022/23 campaign.
Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League on Sunday following a disastrous season that saw Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel getting sacked. Caretaker boss Frank Lampard failed to inject any impetus and energy after Potter in April, as the Blues ended their Premier League campaign with 11 wins, 11 defeats and 16 draws.
After Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital made investments worth £600 million to sign new players across two transfer windows, Chelsea need a leader and direction. They have turned to Mauricio Pochettino—one of the most highly respected managers in Europe—after missing out on European football for next season.
Pochettino, 51, faces an uphill task of rebuilding Chelsea, and to employ a high-pressing and attacking style of play, he will want to bring in a few new players to the club. But before signing fresh faces, he will be wary of trimming the bloated squad to bring some stability.
With a huge summer coming up, here are five players the new Chelsea boss should offload.
#Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly’s move from Napoli hasn’t worked out. The Senegalese international doesn’t look one bit like a player who was one of Serie A’s most dominant defenders for several years.
Aged 31 and having failed to live up to the lofty expectations at Stamford Bridge, Mauricio Pochettino should look to move Koulibaly on in the summer.
#Edouard Mendy
Koulibaly’s national teammate, Edouard Mendy, has endured a torrid season and found himself second choice after turning down a new contract. If Chelsea can find a replacement for him, they must sell the 31-year-old shot-stopper this summer.
#Christian Pulisic
After flattering to deceive in his Chelsea career, Christian Pulisic will turn 25 in September and desperately needs a move away from the club to revive his career. The USA international has endured another injury-hit campaign and has fallen down the pecking order since January.
Pulisic is still young and should ideally have no shortage of potential options considering his displays for the United States at the Qatar World Cup.
#Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The decision to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the Premier League was always an odd move and the Gabonese striker has failed to prove the doubters wrong. With a year left to run on his deal and set to turn 34 next month, Pochettino must offload Aubameyang as quickly as possible.
#Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech has been far too inconsistent for Chelsea since joining from Ajax in 2020. The Moroccan tried to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in January, only for botched paperwork to scupper the deal.
The attacker has been at Chelsea for three seasons and has barely looked like cutting the mustard in the Premier League. The upcoming summer transfer window is the perfect time for the Pensioners to show Ziyech the exit door.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
