With news breaking that Mauricio Pochettino is edging closer to taking over as Chelsea manager in June, Blues fans are now starting to look ahead to what promises to be an exciting 2023/24 season.
So how will Chelsea line-up under Pochettino? Who will the club sign in the summer? Who will the club sell in the summer?
We’ve taken a look…
GK – Diogo Costa – The Blues have been in dire need of an upgrade between the sticks since Edouard Mendy’s injury concerns began to pile up. Diogo Costa is the best goalkeeper who currently isn’t playing in one of Europe’s elite leagues (no offence Liga Portugal) and, although he’ll cost a pretty penny, he’s worth the investment.
RB – Reece James – An up-and-down season for James, but on his day he’s one of the very best in the world. Expect a player like James to thrive under the stewardship of a manger who developed Kyle Walker into one of the best full-backs of his generation.
CB – Wesley Fofana – One of the few bright sparks for Chelsea in recent weeks, Fofana has firmly established himself as the future of the Blues’ defence.
CB – Thiago Silva – 38 years old and still the best centre-back in the Premier League. When fit, Thiago Silva will start for Pochettino.
LB – Ben Chilwell – Like James on the opposite flank, Chelsea fans can expect Chilwell’s performance to improve ten-fold with Poch as manager.
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CM – N’Golo Kante – Injured for 90% of the last few seasons, but if he can stay fit (and that’s a big ‘if’) he’ll be crucial to how Pochettino’s Chelsea will play.
CM – Enzo Fernandez – We haven’t seen the best of the British record signing just yet and that’s because Chelsea have been an utter mess. One can expect much, much better performances from Enzo once a clear tactical plan is in place at Stamford Bridge.
RM – Christopher Nkunku – You forgot he was coming to Chelsea, didn’t you? Don’t worry, everyone did. And yet, he may just be the perfect Son Heung-min style goalscoring wide player that could thrive under Poch.
AM – Mason Mount – There’s plenty of speculation around Mason Mount’s Chelsea future, but if Pochettino takes over then Mount will almost certainly sign a new contract at the club. Put simply, Mount is a perfect Pochettino midfielder – creative and combative in equal measure.
LM – Mykhailo Mudryk – The Ukrainian will get a run in the starting XI next season. Whether or not he has the talent to succeed at Chelsea remains to be seen.
ST – Victor Osimhen – Chelsea need a striker. There’s very few better strikers in world football than Victor Osimhen. If Chelsea want to compete next season, they need a striker of Osimhen’s calibre.
LISTEN NOW
On this edition of Son of Chelsea, part of the 90min podcast network, Daniel Childs discusses the likely appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s new manager, how he can get the best out of Mason Mount and more. If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
Credit: 90min.com
