In his first week as Chelsea's head coach, Mauricio Pochettino has already been let down twice.
COMMENT: Chelsea has to overcome its first two summer transfer failures.
As Mauricio Pochettino is ready to start working at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea has already let him down twice. Pochettino has a large amount of surgery to perform in order to trim down a big and undeveloped team of players, but the early indications indicate that the task will be quite challenging.
The new head coach from Argentina cannot begin his job until July 1, but that hasn't stopped him from making decisions on which players must leave and which should be hired. According to reports, Pochettino mentioned midfield as a major area of worry while discussing the club's transfer plans.
Chelsea, though, has had a sluggish start to the season. Two moves involving the Blues may worry Pochettino. Mason Mount is rumoured to be joining Manchester United, while target Manuel Ugarte is headed to Paris Saint-Germain.
Under Pochettino, Mount may have played a significant role. The 24-year-old may have evolved into a role akin to the one that Christian Eriksen excelled in when playing for Tottenham under Pochettino.
The race to sign Mount appears to have been won by Man Utd. The Chelsea academy alumnus allegedly preferred a move to Old Trafford over staying at Stamford Bridge, where negotiations over a potential new deal were at a standstill.
Mount's current contract is slated to end in 2024, but Chelsea and Mount were unable to reach an agreement. United and Chelsea are now working on an accord. According to reports, a cost might be in the range of £50-70 million, which would be a considerable sum for a player with only one year left on their deal.
On Sunday night, Pochettino suffered yet another setback. Ugarte, a 22-year-old midfielder for Uruguay, has been sought after for a while, but Pochettino's former team PSG looked to have won the battle to sign him.
Although Ugarte's Sporting contract purportedly featured a £52 million release clause, both clubs were willing to offer more to sign one of the continent's brightest prospects. Ugarte was attracted to France by PSG's contract offer, where he is a part of a renewed effort to bring in younger talent in Paris.
Pochettino is forced to look for new opponents. The Blues intend to go for Southampton's Romeo Lavia and Brighton's Moises Caicedo, according to a report from Express Sport on Monday. Former prodigy Lavia is the subject of a buy-back option held by Manchester City, and Liverpool is also said to be interested.
That demonstrates that Chelsea's transfer window won't likely get much simpler in the upcoming weeks. Pochettino needs the administration at Stamford Bridge to start formulating their transfer strategies.
