Mykhailo Mudryk, Levi Colwill and the seven Chelsea players out to prove a point during pre-season

Mykhailo Mudryk has taken plenty of flak having failed to live up to expectations in the aftermath of his big-money January move to Stamford Bridge, but he was always likely to require a significant period of adaptation.

The 22-year-old hadn't played a competitive game since November when he joined from Shakhtar, and the step up to the Premier League was inevitably a steep one from Ukraine's top flight. Throwing him into the melting pot of Chelsea's disastrous season was never going to result in immediate success.

A pre-season of pressure-free friendlies and ample time to get into the physical shape required for the rigours of the Premier League is exactly what Mudryk needs at this juncture, and both he and his club will hope he will be ready to begin the new season all guns blazing come August.

Chelsea may well be fighting to keep Levi Colwill as he battles to make a first-team breakthrough. The classy centre-back is returning to the club off the back of a mightily impressive loan at Brighton, followed by a triumphant European Championship campaign with England's Under-21s.

His stock has never been higher, and despite his career being in its infancy he finds himself at a crossroads; stay and fight for his place at Stamford Bridge, or leave to join one of many suitors including Brighton and Liverpool. Chelsea will hope his intention is to remain with them, and pre-season will give him a platform to prove his worth.

He will be vying to claim the left centre-back spot, either in a back four or back three, and Benoit Badiashile's serious injury will aid his cause. If he gets his head down, there is no reason why he shouldn't be starting alongside Thiago Silva on the opening day of the season.

This feels like a make or break summer for Conor Gallagher. Though he still hasn't fully nailed down a starting place in the Blues' line-up, the England international has no shortage of Premier League suitors. If certain reports to be believed, there is some willingness to do business on Chelsea's part as the prospect of Moises Caicedo's potential arrival looms.

As an academy graduate who seems to have tenacity in his blood, Gallagher will surely want to stay and fight for his place, and his boundless energy will almost certainly be to the liking of his new manager - but will there be room for him in Pochettino's preferred 4-2-3-1 shape?

A strong end to 2022-23 where he became a key player under Frank Lampard stands him in good stead, but Gallagher will know he faces a battle if he wants to keep his place as Chelsea continue their midfield revamp.

Chelsea believed they were signing a top-tier rotation option for Ben Chilwell when Marc Cucurella arrived for a cool £63 million ($83m) last summer, but he has - perhaps unsurprisingly - spectacularly failed to live up to that inflated price-tag.

It seems the defender's future is up in the air, amid recent suggestions that he could be another player whom the Blues will look to cut loose this summer in their ruthless clear-out. It has been reported that returning loanee Ian Maatsen will be given the opportunity to impress on the left flank, which piles the pressure onto Cucurella.

Whether he even wants to stay at Chelsea is unclear having failed to endear himself to the fans in 2022-23. But whatever his feelings at this stage, the Spaniard can use this time to either play himself into Pochettino's plans or put himself in the shop window.

Another defender whose future hangs in the balance. Chelsea have a storied modern history of functional, versatile players becoming fan favourites despite having limited game time and not necessarily being the most technically gifted - think John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Trevoh Chalobah is following in their footsteps, and he has been afforded more minutes than even he would have anticipated across the past two seasons, although that has often been to cover for injuries to the likes of Reece James, Chilwell and Wesley Fofana.

The 24-year-old will be acutely aware that he needs to make the leap from reliable back-up option to un-droppable linchpin in the defence. Indeed, his future at the club may depend on it amid reports that Chelsea could cash in on another academy product.

Much was expected of Carney Chukwuemeka when Chelsea snapped him up from Aston Villa last summer out of absolutely nowhere, but - as was the case for the vast majority of Chelsea's signings in the past year - things haven't gone according to plan.

Still only 19, Chukwuemeka still has time on his side and the summer could provide him with the perfect platform to give everyone a timely reminder of his exceptional talent, following a bitty debut season at Stamford Bridge.

Should he seize the opportunity, that will likely be the difference between earning a chance at Chelsea and being shipped out on loan. He will doubtless be enthused by Pochettino's track record of improving young players.

Andrey Santos' long-awaited arrival has drummed up some serious excitement among the Chelsea fanbase, but the reality is that he finds himself in a similar position to Chukwuemeka as pre-season gets underway.

Such is the nature of the rumour mill, every possible scenario has been touted as a possibility for the Brazilian this summer: that he will be given an immediate first-team opportunity, that he will be sent out on loan, and that he could even be sold without playing a single minute amid supposed interest from Barcelona.

It's unlikely we'll discover where the truth lies until Pochettino has had a proper look at him up close and in match action, but having had to wait months to join up with his new team-mates, you'd imagine he will be determined to make an immediate impression. He certainly has the talent to do so.