Incoming Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino is looking to copy one of Jose Mourinho’s most effective strategies as he prepares to take over t the club this summer. The Blues are expected to appoint the former Tottenham boss by the end of this week, bringing an end to their protracted search for Graham Potter’s successor, and Pochettino is eager to mark his stamp on the squad ahead of a busy summer of departures and new arrivals.
It is believed Pochettino has been briefed by Todd Boehly and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart on the club’s plans to drastically reduce the size of their squad, which currently has 31 players not including those out on loan.
That could see Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Romelu Lukaku, Mason Mount, Kalidou Koulibaly and Mateo Kovacic leave the club this summer, with potentially more joining the exodus such as Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
But once their firesale has been completed, the Argentine is keen to strengthen with three new signings – a goalkeeper, central midfielder and a new No 9 – as he looks to copy Mourinho’s strategy of constructing a ‘spine’ with his new team.
In his first season at Chelsea in 2004-05, Mourinho set about forming a small group of senior players for which his team could rely upon as the key men.
They were Petr Cech, who was only 22 at the time and an obscure figure outside of France, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, a £24m signing from Marseille.
Cech succeeded Carlo Cudicini as the No 1 goalkeeper, while Lampard was already an important member of the team. Drogba took a long time to settle into his role of spearheading the attack, but still celebrated winning two Premier League titles in a row from 2004 to 2006. All three players would go on to become leaders within the squad after being nurtured by Mourinho.
And as he looks to bring a new culture to the club after a dreadful season under Potter, Thomas Tuchel and Frank Lampard, Pochettino may have an idea for which players can fill the spots he needs in his new-look team.
Brentford pair David Raya and Ivan Toney have shone as some of the best performers in the Premier League this season, and certainly outside the top six.
Raya, who is out of contract in 2024, is expected to leave the Bees and the Spain international possesses arguably superior shot-stopping and distribution abilities than Kepa Arrizabalaga or Edouard Mendy.
Toney has bagged 20 goals in the Premier League this season and has often been compared to Drogba for the manner he leads the line as a target man and his fearless approach to finishing. If Victor Osimhen is difficult to sign, the £40m-rated striker would represent a fine contingency option.
Like Raya, he could also leave Brentford this summer with Chelsea and Manchester United both searching for a new central striker – and if Pochettino can’t have Harry Kane, the next best Englishman in front of goal isn’t a bad backup.
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