Mauricio Pochettino will be part of Chelsea’s summer transfer overhaul after he was confirmed as the new manager at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino replaced Frank Lampard, the stop-gap manager who filled in after Graham Potter’s underwhelming, short tenure. Lampard himself struggled, and there is much to be done in the transfer window under Todd Boehly.
The Argentine’s first job will be to earmark players who need to leave the club. That might include Mason Mount, linked to other Premier League sides such as Liverpool and Manchester United, and there are a host of players on the sidelines who may need to be moved on, like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Of course, with no first-choice out-and-out striker, a forward will be at the top of any list drawn up for the summer, and a goalkeeper and defensive player of some kind will be brought in.
DAZN takes a look at the names in the frame.
Goalkeeper - David Raya (Brentford)
The 27-year-old Spaniard got the nod in his national team last year and has two caps to his name, and it is one of his compatriots that he might usurp at Stamford Bridge.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to move on after failing to nail down his starting place at the club over the last few years. His rival for the spot, Edouard Mendy, has also failed to convince each of his recent managers that he is the definite number one.
To that end, Raya’s consistent performances, relative youth for a goalkeeper, plus his extensive Premier League and English football experience could see him brought in to create a minimum of fuss at the back.
Defensive midfielder - Declan Rice (West Ham)
The England international’s versatility maybe seen as a bonus for Pochettino, with an ageing backline and no standout central defender under 30, he could be used as a ball-playing central defender given his technical ability.
Having said that, Jorginho’s mid-season sale to Arsenal, plus N’Golo Kante’s uncertain future and Mount’s potential exit, all create space for a new midfielder at Chelsea. While Rice would cost north of £100 million, Rice is a player who could hold that position for the best part of a decade, and may prove to be a relative bargain.
Striker - Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Surely not? Rumours of Daniel Levy’s antipathy towards Chelsea go back years, after Chelsea’s ill-fated pursuit of Luka Modric before he ultimately switched to Real Madrid.
Levy is never keen to sell his best players at any time, but given the pressure on him after another potless year, losing Harry Kane to perhaps an even more bitter rival than Arsenal might not be something he is willing to contemplate.
The other side of the coin is that Tottenham cannot reasonably let Kane go for nothing next summer, when he might be reunited with Pochettino, the manager who got the best out of him over his career in North London. If Chelsea can make a sizable offer, Tottenham may have little choice but to accept.