The Mauricio Pochettino-era at Chelsea begins in earnest as their pre-season tour of the United States gets underway on Thursday.
The Blues squad that has travelled to the United States is almost unrecognisable to the group that finished a lowly 12th in the Premier League last season. A lot of players have left the club, a couple of new signings have arrived, as well as a new head coach, with Chelsea hoping to put the nightmare 2022/23 campaign behind them and look forward to enjoying a much better upcoming season.
Amidst the kind of task Pochettino has on his hands, there are many players who will be raring to prove a point in the forthcoming pre-season. With that being said, here are the three Chelsea players who will be looking to impress the new boss.
#Mykhaylo Mudryk
Mykhaylo Mudryk has received a lot of criticism having failed to live up to lofty expectations following his £88.5million January move to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk, but as often with new players he was always likely to need a significant period of adaptation in the Premier League.
The step up to the Premier League from Ukraine’s top flight proved to be a steep one for the 22-year-old winger, who failed to open his account for Chelsea in 17 appearances last term. To be fair, the Ukrainian international was thrown at the deep end of the Blues’ forgettable season, and he failed to show his true qualities.
Thus, like every Chelsea player, Mudryk starts with a clean slate this summer under Pochettino, and he will be desperate to prove a point in the pre-season.
#Levi Colwill
Less than a month before the start of the new season, Chelsea have been dealt a body blow after Wesley Fofana suffered an ACL injury. The French defender has undergone ACL surgery and will miss the majority of the 2023/24 season.
While Chelsea are about to enter the transfer market for a new central defender in the wake of Fofana’s injury, Levi Colwill will be hoping to make a mark in the pre-season and bulldoze his way into Pochettino’s plans.
Colwill, 20, is returning to Chelsea off the back of an impressive breakout season on loan at Brighton, followed by a successful Under-21 European Championship campaign with England. The youngster’s stock is on the rise, and despite Brighton wanting to sign him permanently, Chelsea remain adamant that he is not for sale.
The west London club and Pochettino’s trust should be enough for Colwill to use the pre-season as a platform to prove his worth and battle to make a first-team breakthrough.
#Marc Cucurella
Having arrived in a big-money move from Brighton last summer, Marc Cucurella endured an underwhelming debut campaign at Stamford Bridge. The left-back/wing-back’s performances were littered with errors, while the change of managers didn’t help his cause one bit.
Cucurella has a lot to offer to the Blues after a season full of struggle and, given the emergence of Lewis Hall towards the end of last season and Ben Chilwell’s expected return, he will have his work cut out to establish himself as the first-choice left-back under Pochettino.
Thus, the pre-season offers the 24-year-old a great opportunity to impress the new boss and fancy his chances.