Chelsea: Pochettino making inroads toward Blues rebuild
The job that Mauricio Pochettino has on his hands at Chelsea is a massive undertaking in every sense of the word. With multiple areas of the club in need of immediate remedy, it’s difficult to determine where best to begin.
Nevertheless, there are already talks of many players heading towards the exit door, some from the academy and quite a few who joined quite recently.
Without further ado then, let’s have a breakdown of all the stories circulating around Stamford Bridge following Pochettino’s arrival.
Also read: 3 Chelsea Players Who Could Be Moved Under Pochettino
Chelsea will NOT permanently sign Joao Felix
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has announced that Joao Felix will return to the Spanish capital after a somewhat bright stint at Chelsea. At most times, the Portuguese forward shone brighter than his co-attackers but that didn’t necessarily reflect in his four goals across 20 appearances.
Cerezo admitted that new boss Pochettino doesn’t consider Felix, who is valued at a whopping £80m, to be part of his plans, remarking “Yesterday we had the news that the new Chelsea manager (Pochettino) does not (want) Joao Felix. We’ve known for less than 24 hours. He’ll come back here and we’ll see. We don’t have anything planned.”
Felix was notably unhappy at Atletico and the club decided to sanction a loan as the relationship turned sour between the two parties. While there will be no shortage of suitors for a player of his repertoire, it’s understood Chelsea will bank on the incoming Christopher Nkunku to play behind the striker.
Juventus leading the race to sign Pulisic
Sources have told ESPN that Juventus are frontrunners in the race to sign Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic. The USMNT international has endured a spate of injury setbacks this season, and only managed one goal this term.
With time running out (12 months remaining on his current deal) and reinforcements down the flanks already set up for the Blues, cashing in on Pulisic makes complete sense.
Other clubs interested in the forward include Newcastle United, Manchester United, Napoli and AC Milan.
N’Golo Kante’s contract talks now at a standstill
After months of negotiations, a deal between Chelsea superstar N’Golo Kante and the club was finally set to be agreed. However, upon Pochettino’s entry into the hot seat, the situation becomes cloudy once again.
Kante, 32, has been riddled with injuries and only made nine appearances all season. But when he’s taken to grass, the World Cup winner has looked a class apart from the rest.
Pochettino decides to offload Denis Zakaria
After seven appearances, an injury and mostly not being preferred, Denis Zakaria’s loan spell at Chelsea is set to come to an end.
Pochettino doesn’t see him as part of his plans. Zakaria’s career has derailed since moving from Borussia Monchengladbach. For both Chelsea and Juventus, the 26-year-old has only accomplished 18 league appearances across two seasons.
Enzo Fernandez is the nucleus of Chelsea’s midfield for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante are touted to leave as well, while Manuel Ugarte is a bright prospect on the Blues shortlist.
Chelsea will hope to get rid of Koulibaly this summer
In a report covering the future of Chelsea’s defensive ranks, the Evening Standard have stated that although he wishes to fight for his place and prove his worth in English football, Kalidou Koulibaly could be sold as the team looks to rejig the team around young center-backs.
The Senegalese defender has been erroneous in defense in what finished as a severely underwhelming campaign under four different managers. He was signed for £33m and earns £200,000 a week, and that could be one of the several reasons behind Chelsea’s willingness to show him the door.
Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and the returning Levi Colwill are already in the Chelsea center-half roster.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ank Kumar. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.