Chelsea are set to offload—or at least try to offload—a big pool of players in what is expected to be a massive clear-out of the squad ahead of a crucial 2023–24 season as head coach Mauricio Pochettino looks to have a clear idea of what he has to work with in pre-season.
As the dust settles on another Premier League season, most managers will be switching off for a few weeks of relaxation before planning for the next campaign.
But for new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, the work starts immediately as he aims to rebuild the side after a disastrous campaign.
Chelsea ended the campaign 12th in the Premier League table, the club’s lowest league finish since 1993/94 — hardly what new co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali imagined when they swooped in after the unprecedented collapse of the Roman Abramovich era.
This is why the summer break couldn’t have come at a better time for the West London club, as they need some major surgery if they are to re-establish themselves as potential top-four contenders alongside Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, and even Newcastle United next season.
The former Spurs boss wants a core group of young players that he can rely on throughout next season.
Chelsea loan star Joao Felix has become the first casualty of their ruthless summer trimming.
Mount, whose existing contract expires next summer, is not on the chopping list, but he could be offloaded as well due to the contract renewal impasse and the Blues’ need for money to comply with financial fair play, with the sale of an academy product recorded as pure profit in the club’s financial records.