Mauricio Pochettino has already made his imprint as Chelsea manager, allowing a player to leave after Todd Boehly had previously vetoed their exit.
Mauricio Pochettino has established his authority as Chelsea manager by letting club captain Cesar Azpilicueta to go on a free transfer this summer, despite having a year remaining on his contract.
The Spaniard was previously considered to be staying at Stamford Bridge, with club chairman Todd Boehly preventing his captain from leaving. Barcelona were rumored to be interested in bringing the defender back to his homeland last summer, but Boehly vetoed the move, leaving the 33-year-old with nothing.
Pochettino has arrived at Chelsea, with his first assignment as manager to create his team for the forthcoming season, with the burden of unloading players from a bloated Stamford Bridge playing staff. As a new age dawns in West London, aging stars such as Azpilicueta, Ngolo Kante, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are set to join Kalidou Koulibaly at the exit door.
According to the Sun, the future Blues manager will let the full-back leave for free, despite the fact that his contract runs until the summer of 2024. Inter Milan are thought to be the main club interested in signing the veteran, as Serie A has always been an excellent venue for senior players to ext
Following an intervention from Boehly, the experienced defender, who has now spent 11 years at the club, revealed a change of heart in his plan to quit the club last summer.
"I'm always totally honest, and the conversations were there," Azpilicueta said to Chelsea's website. "I thought maybe it was because of the Club World Cup, winning this trophy, and being the first player at Chelsea to win every single trophy available."
"But then everything changed, and we had some really good talks with the manager and the owners." I'm the captain of this club, and I wanted to stay with them. The chats we had will be kept secret, but we had some really excellent communication, we said what we thought, and then I realized I wanted to continue helping my club."
Last season, the Spanish international had less playing time, with only 16 Premier League starts as the Blues ended 12th in the Premier League, their lowest league position since 1993/94. Reece James' performances, combined with the arrival of Malo Gusto as a long-term prospect, have left his future role unknown, implying that a free move is in the cards.
Not only are the elder members of the squad poised to go, but USA international Christian Pulisic is also said to be on his way out.
Uncertainty surrounds names such as Romelu Lukaku, Conor Gallagher, Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Edouard Mendy, all of whom have been linked with departures as the Blues seek to restructure following their record-breaking £600 million spending spree last season.
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