Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is ready to make ‘tough’ decisions regarding his squad for next season. The Argentine has already deemed 12 players surplus to requirements, with three more expected to be added to that list.
Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Loftus-cheek, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Joao Felix who was on loan, Kai Havertz, Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang and Ethan Ampadu have all departed. Meanwhile, Hakim Ziyech, Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi are set to follow them out of the door.
But one player who will be sticking around is Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen. The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Burnley and was named in the EFL Championship Team of the Season.
Pochettino has been extremely impressed by what he has seen and intends to incorporate the youngster into Chelsea’s first-team set-up next season. “So far, Ian Maatsen is in my plan. I am so happy with him, can play in different positions,” said Pochettino. “He is a clever player, I am so pleased with him so far.”
Pochettino intends to trim down his bloated squad down to 22 players plus kids and isn’t willing to keep hold of any dead wood. “We can’t have players who won’t play, and create a mess in the squad,” he said.
“Of course if a player is not happy and they believe they can’t play we will find a solution, talk with the club and fix the situation. We need players who are happy. Playing, or not playing. If they believe they need to be in the first XI, try to be the coach, it is better to talk now. Maybe they think: ‘If you don’t play I don’t want to be here’.
“I’d rather it was: ‘If I am not playing and I am here I accept you are the coaching staff and I won’t play every game’. That is not a threat. It is about that character.
“The attitude has to be: ‘I come here to help the club, and then I need to convince the coach I need to play. I am a player and let the coaching staff coach’. If not, impossible. You need the right players to accept what is going on.”
He continued: “We don’t need a bigger squad, 22-23 players with some younger, and that is it. Those decisions will be tough. We need a good and balanced team to compete for things. We need to define the squad. It is massive, the squad. The dynamic is now really good, good boys and sharing a good time together.
“But sometimes four or five players can’t play and the mood is difficult. That is a natural thing. It is creating a squad with balance and people who have the chance to play and compete for a place. That is a challenge for us in the window, to build a good relationship.”