Newly-appointed Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that further new signings will be pursued by the Blues this summer, but only those who are 'committed' to the club's philosophy will arrive at Stamford Bridge.
The 51-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur boss officially began work at Chelsea's Cobham training ground on Monday after being announced as Graham Potter's successor at the end of May.
Following a bitterly disappointing 12th-placed finish in the Premier League last season and two transfer windows in which over £600m was spent on new players – overseen by owner Todd Boehly and his consortium – Chelsea are now tasked with balancing their books and reshaping their squad to suit Pochettino ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
The summer clearout has already begun at Stamford Bridge, with Kai Havertz, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tiemoue Bakayoko among a number of players to leave the club permanently, while the likes of Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku may also be heading for the exit door.
Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are the two notable additions at Chelsea so far this summer, signing six-year and eight-year contracts respectively, and Pochettino has vowed to make more signings of 'committed' players ahead of the new season.
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Speaking in an exclusive interview for Chelsea's official website, Pochettino said: "Our expertise is to give Chelsea the best tools for the players to be successful, to improve individually and collectively. We have the experience and together we can create a fantastic journey. That is what we want: to be together, to work together, and be part of this football club.
"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 Argentine 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.
"It is exciting for us because we love good players, players with the capacity and then talent, but also we want people who want to be with us at this club and be really open to help the club achieve what we want."
This is where it starts. 👊#WelcomePoch pic.twitter.com/scmF0ThuON
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 3, 2023
Pochettino has boldly labelled Chelsea as the "greatest" English team over the past 10 to 15 years, adding: "I think [the club's legacy is] important, it's the culture of winning.
"I think in the last 10, 12, 15 years, Chelsea is the greatest team in England and we know that very well. I think I know very well the Premier League, I know very well what Chelsea means, the culture of Chelsea."
The West Londoners have been strongly linked with a big-money summer swoop for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is believed to be valued by the Seagulls in excess of £70m.
Despite signing Jackson and Nkunku, the addition of another centre-forward is also thought to be high on Chelsea's agenda, with both Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic said to be on their radar.
A host of other players including Inter Milan's Andre Onana, Celta Vigo's Gabri Viega, Southampton's Valentino Livramento, Flamengo's Matheus Franca, Lyon's Rayan Cherki and Santos' Angelo Gabriel have also been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Oliver Thomas
