There was talk of a rout from Stamford Bridge. But wait, it wasn't a chaotic rout!
It has been six years since N'Golo Kante became the first player to win the Premier League two seasons in a row with two different teams (Leicester in 2016 and Chelsea in 2017). At 32, he is no longer the midfield sweeper he was at his peak. Last season, he only played 7 times in the Premier League. Experts agree that this is the right time for Chelsea and Kante to part ways. Chelsea's failure last season or the mountain of money in Saudi Arabia are other stories, unrelated to the professional aspect.
N'Golo Kante leaves Chelsea to join Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad
Of course, no matter what, it cannot be denied: a team that has to say goodbye to nearly a dozen good players before the international transfer season officially opens in Europe will certainly have a completely different look after this summer. That will be the case for the next Chelsea. And, let me repeat: it will be Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea. He is on a different level compared to his two predecessors Graham Potter and Frank Lampard. Compared to the two coaches mentioned above, only Pochettino can be called a "genuine" coach at a high level. Pochettino, like many other famous coaches, will of course have his own professional plan, one of the most important details of which is determining the list of players suitable for his football philosophy.
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Not every star fits Pochettino's style of play - that's the main reason Havertz, Mount, Kovacic, Pulisic feel they have to find a way out of Stamford Bridge. Koulibaly is a different story. He disappointed Chelsea fans, right in his debut season at Stamford Bridge. Koulibaly was mainly selected by owner Todd Boehly. As soon as he bought Chelsea, the American billionaire spent £600 million on players and took the CEO seat himself. The way Boehly spent money last summer, along with the decision to sack coach Thomas Tuchel, hire Graham Potter, then Frank Lampard, showed that this "professional" club owner is actually blind to the professional aspects of top-flight football.
Chelsea's squad last season was in chaos due to Boehly's manipulation of the profession. Defender Thiago Silva said: "The place that needs the most change at Chelsea is the dressing room. It has to be expanded if we want to have enough space for all the players." Luckily, it was not yet time to make room for Cristiano Ronaldo (Tuchel was fired for not agreeing to buy Ronaldo, as Boehly instructed). In the end, Boehly also realized his mistake. He withdrew himself from all work related to the professional field. Chelsea carefully selected a new coach (not too quickly like when Boehly chose Potter). And now is the time for Chelsea to sell more than buy. Sell players like "Boehly's" Koulibaly. On the one hand, it must be done so that there is enough room for the squad once Pochettino starts working and buys more players suitable for his style of football. On the other hand, Chelsea must of course balance the books if they do not want to violate financial fair play regulations.
To change to fit Pochettino's philosophy, Chelsea will have to change in many aspects, not just the player list. In this coach's typical training style, players will have to practice a lot and may go through "weird" exercises (in the eyes of others). Discipline is the most important requirement that Pochettino sets for his players. It is not known how the upcoming Chelsea player list will change - both selling and buying. But on the one hand, the players at Stamford Bridge next season will have to be suitable for the above characteristics. On the other hand, although saying goodbye to dozens of players, it is also Chelsea's initiative, rather than a panicked escape.
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