Chelsea’s Pochettino Looks to Offload Ziyech in Squad Overhaul

Pochettino wants to trim the squad and he is gradually succeeding. He is calling for this to continue, as the club suffered from an overstaffed squad last season. Indeed, his predecessor Graham Potter had at his disposal a group of 33 to 40 players in training, requiring nine-a-side matches in addition to the traditional eleven-a-side matches.

For Pochettino, balance is the key. This is what he affirmed during a press conference, indicating that the ideal squad should consist of 23 to 25 players, including goalkeepers. "We need to be fair in the way we choose the profile and balance is the most important," he said. The departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Marseille is only the latest in a series of 14 sales concluded by the club this summer.

Despite a reduced squad of 30 players for the American tour, Pochettino remains ambitious and plans to add other players to his squad as soon as possible. "The problem is that the players who won’t play, where will they find the motivation."

Finally, the announcement of the future team captain will be made at the start of the season against Liverpool on August 13. Until then, the Argentine manager says he wants to evaluate each player on and off the field. Meanwhile, Chelsea, fresh off a 5-0 win against Wrexham, is preparing for its next match against Brighton & Hove Alb