It's safe to say that Mauricio Pochettino is keen on making his mark at Chelsea as soon as possible.
The Blues, who finished their awful 2022/23 season with an insipid 1-1 draw against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, will not be involved in European competition after ending the term in a very disappointing 12th place. As such, Pochettino will have his hands full if he hopes to help the Blues revive their fortunes and return to competing for titles sooner rather than later.
The Argentinian tactician has quite a lot of work to do, including shipping out deadweight and underperforming players in order to revitalize the squad. And while his tenure has just begun, he has already shown that he is not afraid to make tough decisions.
According to reports from Spain, Pochettino has decided against signing Joao Felix on a permanent deal. The Portuguese star was brought in on loan from Atletico Madrid as the Blues desperately needed some fresh options up front, but failed to make the grade.
Indeed, Felix's first game for Chelsea was nothing but a disaster, as he was sent off an hour into the match, and his output, four goals in 16 appearances, is nothing really to brag about.
With Felix set to return to Atletico Madrid - where he also had a difficult relationship with Diego Simeone - Pochettino will certainly turn his attention towards wielding the axe to remove other players who did not make the grade this season.
One player many fans are hoping to see the last of is Kai Havertz. The German international might have scored vital goals in the Champions League and the Club World Cup a couple of seasons back, but has done nothing of note beyond that to merit being a consistent face in the starting XI. Usually deployed as a center forward, Havertz proved to be an inefficient option in that role and as such, has received his fair share of criticism from both fans and pundits alike for a failure to help spearhead the team's attack.
Other players likely to depart include American international Christian Pulisic, who struggled for game time and fitness and has been linked with several clubs in Italy and even Turkey.
With Felix now exiting Stamford Bridge, it will be interesting to see what others join him, and who will be brought in as Pochettino looks to help Chelsea turn their miserable fortunes around next season.
