Rio Ferdinand warns Mauricio Pochettino about Chelsea squad ahead of Stamford Bridge stint
Football pundit Rio Ferdinand rang the alarm bells for Mauricio Pochettino, cautioning him about Chelsea's precarious equilibrium ahead of his stint at Stamford Bridge.
The renowned west London club have been busy during the infant stages of the transfer period, orchestrating player departures.
Notable departures include N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly who have all packed their bags for the Saudi Pro League. Mateo Kovacic has also bid farewell to the Blues, making the switch to Premier League heavyweights Manchester City. Furthermore, Mason Mount is also on the brink of shifting his allegiances to Manchester United (via Fabrizio Romano).
Rio Ferdinand perceives these transactions as a potential pitfall, leaving the Blues teetering dangerously on the precipice of imbalance as they head into next season. The former Manchester United defender has claimed that Pochettino already finds himself in a tricky start, speaking on Vibe with Fibe (via Mirror):
"Chelsea have been one of the stories of the summer for me in the movement that's been going on there. The amount of players that came in but also the amount of players who are leaving."
"You look at Chelsea’s midfield – Jorginho went last season, Loftus-Cheek on his way out, Mason Mount on his way out, Kante and Kovacic have gone. That’s five midfielders, two or three of them start. There’s no midfield at that club at the moment."
Ferdinand continued:
"They're gonna start the season with Conor Gallagher. So you're sitting there going 'wow, who they gonna get?'. I've seen the reports of Caicedo they're in negotiations. Nkunku's come through the door but again he's an attacking player."
"They’ve got about eight or nine attacking players in the wide areas especially, unless Nkunku's coming to play up top, but that's not his best position. So it will be interesting, the squad lacks balance, they’re crying out for some midfielders."
Chelsea will return to action on July 19 when they take on Wrexham in a pre-season friendly.
Chelsea set their eyes on Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz
It seems Chelsea are contemplating a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz this summer as they look to replace the departing duo of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. This insider scoop comes courtesy of Simon Phillips (via ChelseaChronicle).
Havertz, 24, has already put pen to paper, officially sealing his move across the city to join Arsenal. While everyone eagerly anticipates the official announcement of Mount's transfer to Old Trafford, Fabrizio Romano has revealed on Twitter that it's concluded, valued at approximately £60 million.
Simon Phillips has now divulged that the Blues have Bayer Leverkusen prodigy Florian Wirtz on their radar as the potential successor to Havertz and Mount. Despite being only 20 years old, Wirtz has carved out an impressive reputation, drawing the attention of the Blues' scouts. Notably, Phillips suggests that the London giants are specifically on the lookout for a versatile attacking player.
With 103 first-team appearances under his belt at Leverkusen, Wirtz has already netted 23 goals and provided 30 assists. This has clearly solidified his standing as one of football's most promising young talents, and he could be an exciting addition to Chelsea.