The Ben Jacobs column was first published on Monday exclusively on SPTC!
Mauricio Pochettino is a week into his new role as Chelsea boss and already impressing.
On day one he hosted a barbeque to get to know staff at Cobham and last Friday he was officially unveiled. Pochettino has a disarming charm about him and carries plenty of authority.
I was at his press conference and very impressed by how he answered questions. He also made it clear he’s not a manager who demands control. He has very much bought into the Chelsea project and also revealed his interview, as previously reported, was very much a two-way process.
One of Pochettino’s first tasks will be to speak to both Mykhailho Mudryk and Levi Colwill. Both players have had a busy summer at the U21-Euros. And Colwill, along with Noni Madueke, return to Chelsea for pre-season as U-21 Euros champions.
Pochettino is keen to get to know Mudryk and work one-on-one with him in order to get him going. Part of the focus will be on integration within the team and encouraging him to be more vocal and culture-orientated.
With Colwill, it’s really just about convincing the player there’s a clear and pretty immediate pathway to regular first-team football. Colwill was outstanding at the U-21 Euros. Brighton would love to sign him and Liverpool are certainly admirers as well. But Chelsea’s position remains very clear: Colwill is not for sale.
Even if he doesn’t agree to a new deal this summer, if Colwill wants a move he’ll have to pretty aggressively drive it to stand a chance. And as I have said many times, I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if he starts the first game of the season against Liverpool.
One of the reasons Colwill is so intent on regular game time is because it has been made clear to him by Gareth Southgate that he stands a real chance of selection for the Euros next summer. The England manager even views him as a starter sooner rather than later. He could seriously challenge Harry Maguire for the centre-back spot over the next 12 months, but only if he’s playing regularly.
This week is also going to help clarify the future of Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea are looking for a fee in the range of £40m (€45m). Inter’s last offer was rejected out of hand and is believed to be at least £15m short of Chelsea’s expectations.
Lukaku does want to return to Inter, who may yet find the funds following the expected sale of goalkeeper Andre Onana to Manchester United for around £45m. However, if a deal can’t be struck, Lukaku will consider a transfer to Al-Hilal despite previously turning down an offer. Juventus are not thought to be of appeal despite interest on their part. Chelsea also aren’t talking about a swap deal for Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian striker is on Chelsea’s list of targets, but no offer to date has been placed, contrary to some reports.
Chelsea will also continue to push for Moises Caicedo this week. It might feel like negotiations have been quiet and frustrating, but work is taking place behind the scenes. Success will depend not only on number but structure. It was the same when Chelsea signed Wesley Fofana from Leicester last summer.
Chelsea’s position remains that anything around £80m (and they have started even lower) is more than fair. It’s normal for Brighton to be pushing for £100m+, and potentially using Declan Rice’s £105m fee as a yardstick. But Caicedo has been told he can leave this summer for a reasonable offer. If Chelsea do proceed to pay more, I expect the structure to be highly preferable and not all the add-ons easily gettable.
The other big thing today has been the launch of Chelsea’s home shirt, which has a nineties feel, celebrating Gianluca Vialli’s successful 1997/98 season as manager. It is unfortunate there is no front-of-shirt or sleeve sponsor, but the club are working hard to get deals over the line.
Sports agency CAA are running the process to find a front-of-shirt. Chelsea took the decision to release the kit now due to retail deadlines so as not to create any further delays for fans wanting to purchase shirts, which will be available from mid-August.
The collapse of the Paramount+ deal was ultimately out of the club’s control. And Stake was never a done deal. Chelsea sources also indicate the sponsor has to be the right fit for the club. More than just finances alone are therefore strongly considered. I still expect Chelsea to find a sponsor sooner rather than later, and thus a front-of-shirt partner to be in place by August.
Ben Jacobs
