Mauricio Pochettino has first Chelsea signing ‘confirmed’ after Todd Boehly makes £52m decision

 

Mauricio Pochettino will face a busy first few months at Chelsea – should he finally be confirmed as their new manager – with the summer transfer window set to be a decisive one for the Blues. Moves both into and out of the club will likely take place as the major squad reshuffle continues under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Given the goal scoring woes Chelsea have faced this season, adding a natural striker to the first-team squad is an absolute priority. A central midfielder and goalkeeper are other positions that the Blues are hoping to add quality options to as well. No Chelsea star has hit double figures for goals in this campaign, clearly highlighting the need for that goal scoring option.

Thankfully for Pochettino, ahead of his expected arrival, that is one problem that could already have a solution. Christopher Nkunku is another name expected to arrive at Chelsea with his departure for west London from RB Leipzig all but officially confirmed. The deal was completed towards the latter stages of 2022, with the Blues to pay a fee close to £50million.

In the most obvious indication of his proposed arrival to date, Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl told BILD in 2022:

“The signs are very, very clear that he’s moving to Chelsea.”

Regarding his future, Nkunku may consider himself lucky the deal was wrapped up many months ago as the Frenchman has been plagued by numerous injuries this season. Nonetheless, he has still managed 18 goals from 30 games, with his 13th in the league arriving over the weekend. Making his first start in nearly two months, Nkunku opened the scoring for Leipzig against Hoffenheim with a smart close- range finish.

That strike proved to be decisive as Leipzig took themselves closer to the Champions League qualification spots with the narrow victory secured by Nkunku. After the game, Leipzig boss Marco Rose praised the match-winner and also appeared to confirm he will be leaving the club at the end of the season. Rose told reporters:

“That (winning goal) should give him a boost for the next few weeks – for his last few weeks with us.”