Ferdinand's warning for Chelsea's Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea have been very active in the opening stages of the transfer window. Already the club have announced the signings of Christopher Nkunku and Dujuan Richards (who will join the team next season), and the departures of Edouard Mendy, Kai Havertz, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante. 

The club have also reportedly agreed to a £60 million sale for Mason Mount and a move for Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Milan, and it's likely there will be more exits from Chelsea's huge squad as the window goes on.

Incoming manager, Mauricio Pochettino, is facing a tricky task as he looks to rebuild and reshape the Blues' squad. Former England international Rio Ferdinand weighed in the balance issues facing the London team ahead of next season.

"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", said Ferdinand.

"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", he continued on Youtube channel 'Five'.

Chelsea are no strangers to spending big but Ferdinand believes they simply "lack balance": "It's big change now. They've got a lot of business done. They bought young players. Big money on these players. But they're all young players ... they’ve sold a lot of experience and are bringing in players that look like development players to me. They look like they will need time. They’ve got huge potential but Chelsea need players for now as well".

 

June 29, 2023