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Chelsea transfer agreement behind the scenes may come back to bite Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino's transfer plans are well underway at Chelsea but one decision may backfire for the new boss.
Chelsea confirm Mauricio Pochettino as new boss
Mauricio Pochettino has a big summer ahead at Chelsea, with the club needing to offload several stars and also carve out a competitive squad for the Argentine as they look to bounce back from a dismal season. Pochettino will hope to get a good look at the current crop of players in pre-season to assess them, but may have to make some key decisions before the team return to Cobham.
One decision that has already reportedly been made is the future of Kalidou Koulibaly, who has been unable to make the desired impact in his first year after a £33million move from Napoli. He has fallen down the pecking order and it was suggested that he could move on after just one year at Stamford Bridge.
Todd Boehly and co have brought a number of centre-backs to the club since their arrival a year ago, as Koulibaly has been joined by Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile while Marc Cucurella could fill in and Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Cesar Azpilicueta remain at the club - with several departures in that area likely.
However, it may not be Koulibaly who leaves as journalist Dean Jones has claimed that a decision has already been made to keep the Senegalese defender at Chelsea. "I think Pochettino would prefer him to stay,” he told GiveMeSport.
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“And I think that the club's stance is that they looked at this guy for a long time, they invested in it and they were confident they'd made a really good transfer and the first year hasn't gone brilliantly."
The decision could scupper efforts to keep starlet Levi Colwill at the club, however, as it has been claimed that the youngster’s priority is first-team football after an impressive loan with Brighton under Roberto De Zerbi.
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The Seagulls have already attempted to make Colwill’s stay on the south coast permanent, having had a bid rejected by Chelsea of £30m as they want to keep him at the club. But if the 20-year-old cannot see a pathway through to the first team as a result of so many rivals for his position including Koulibaly, then he may be more open to a departure.
Pochettino will likely have to make a decision on Colwill soon and consider whether he can play alongside Koulibaly, who is set to stay at Chelsea.
Homegrown players have been tipped for exits as the likes of Mason Mount, Chalobah and potentially Colwill would be able to fetch a higher profit as a result of them coming through the academy, while Brighton were said to be considering an improved offer for their former loanee to test Chelsea’s resolve - one to keep an eye on as Pochettino assembles his squad for the coming season.