- Chelsea sign Ugochukwu
- Pochettino wants to assess the midfielder
- A loan deal remains an option
WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues continued their summer spending spree by signing the 19-year-old midfielder Ugochukwu from the Ligue 1 outfit. However, the player might head out of Stamford Bridge on a loan deal if he fails to impress Pochettino in training sessions over the next few weeks.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I think today is going to be his first training session with us. He's a young, talented player," said the Chelsea boss. "We don't know if he will have the possibility to play tomorrow because we need to assess him. Now is time to assess him until the end of the transfer window and see if he is going to be with us or the way the club signed, maybe it can be a different possibility to loan or stay with us. We need to assess him when he starts training with us today and then in London after the tour."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: It has been reported that the teenager might be sent on loan to Chelsea-owned Strasbourg in Ligue 1 if Pochettino doesn't think he is ready for a first team role. The London club have been looking to bolster their midfield further and are pursuing Brighton's Moises Caicedo. But the £100m ($128m) valuation set by the Seagulls is proving to be a major stumbling block.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? Chelsea will be in action in their final pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund at the Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago on Wednesday. However, Ugochukwu is unlikely to be in action as the midfielder has not had enough training sessions to get himself up to speed.