Chelsea have already let down incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino twice as the Argentine prepares to start work at Stamford Bridge. Pochettino arrives with plenty of surgery needing to be done to streamline an oversized and raw squad of players, but the early signs suggest that work will be extremely difficult.
The Argentine is not able to officially start work until July 1, but that has not stopped the new head coach from having his say on which players must depart and who should be signed. Pochettino is reported to have identified midfield as a key area of concern during talks over the club’s transfer business.
However, Chelsea have already made a slow start to the window. Pochettino might be concerned about two deals involving the Blues, with Mason Mount supposedly set to join Manchester United, while target Manuel Ugarte is on his way to Paris Saint-Germain.
Mount might have been a key player under Pochettino. The 24-year-old could have developed into a similar role to the one Christian Eriksen performed so well under Pochettino at Tottenham.
Man Utd appear to have won the race to sign Mount. The Chelsea academy graduate has reportedly favoured a switch to Old Trafford over staying at Stamford Bridge, where there was a deadlock over a possible new contract.
Chelsea were unable to agree a new deal with Mount, whose current terms are set to expire in 2024. United are in the process of striking an agreement with Chelsea. Reports suggest that a fee could land in the region of £50-70m – a sizeable amount for a player with only one year left on their contract.
And Pochettino was struck by a further setback on Sunday evening. After a lengthy pursuit of Uruguay international Ugarte, Pochettino’s former club PSG appeared to have won the race to sign the 22-year-old midfielder.
Ugarte supposedly had a £52m release clause in his Sporting contract, but both clubs were prepared to bid more in an effort to land one of Europe’s hottest talents. PSG’s contract proposal has managed to lure Ugarte to France, where he is part of a renewed drive to recruit younger talent in Paris.
It leaves Pochettino scrambling for alternative targets. As reported by Express Sport on Monday, the Blues plan to target Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo. Manchester City have a buy-back option on former starlet Lavia, while Liverpool have also been credited with an interest.
That proves the transfer window is unlikely to get any easier for Chelsea over the coming weeks. Pochettino needs the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to begin putting their transfer plans together.
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