- Blues have invested heavily on fresh faces
- Slumped to a bottom-half finish
- Argentine coach being asked to reverse fortunes
WHAT HAPPENED? The Argentine coach has taken the reins in west London after seeing the Blues stumble their way to a 12th-place finish last season. Chelsea struggled for consistency under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard despite investing heavily in fresh faces following a takeover by the Todd Boehly-led consortium. Christopher Nkunku has been snapped up this summer, to add more firepower to the ranks, and Pochettino is expecting further movement before the next deadline passes.
WHAT THEY SAID: Pochettino has told Chelsea’s official website: “If we are all together, we are going to be very strong. We have an unbelievable squad and for sure are going to bring players with commitment who want to be part of it also. With the fans and everyone, we can find again the way to be successful.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chelsea are also working on raising funds from a collection of big-money sales, with more outgoings on the cards, and Pochettino believes his squad will be in good shape by the time the 2023-24 campaign gets underway. He added: “It is not closed, the squad, and the club is doing a fantastic job to finish the squad so we have the players here to work with us as soon as possible. Together, we are going to be in a perfect situation to work and develop the way we want to apply ourselves on the pitch.”
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? Chelsea have pre-season outings against Wrexham and Borussia Dortmund to take in this summer, before starting the new Premier League season at home to Liverpool on August 13.