It is undoubtedly going to be an interesting summer for Chelsea’s players, supporters and staff, as Mauricio Pochettino gets to work on thinning out his bloated squad.
The Argentinian knows that a number of players will need to be sacrificed because there are just too many in the squad at present, and the wage bill has to come down significantly in order for the Blues to remain the right side of Financial Fair Play.
Pochettino appears to have shown his hand early and decided that Joao Felix can go back from whence he came.
The Portuguese had largely disappointed at the club, but of late appeared to be hitting his stride.
However, Atletico Madrid president, Enrique Cerezo, was quoted by Forbes as saying: “The truth is that I can’t tell you what the plan is with Joao Felix,” with the outlet confirming that the player’s future wasn’t in west London.
He won’t be the only big name departure from Stamford Bridge either.
Sources have told ESPN that Juventus are leading the race to sign injury-prone USMNT star, Christian Pulisic, with the Blues willing to let him leave for just £20m.
Under normal circumstances, both players might well have been given chances to show what they can do, but after Todd Boehly’s incredible mismanagement since taking the helm at the club, strong and decisive managerial decisions must be made.
The issue for the new managerial team is ensuring that not only is there harmony throughout the squad, but that it has sufficient quality to be able to sustain a challenge next season.
With confidence at it’s lowest point in some while, working on the psyche of each and every first-team star is likely to be the starting point for Pochettino, with everything else hopefully falling into place across the summer and pre-season.