Six things we learned from Mauricio Pochettino's first Chelsea press conference
- Pochettino held his first Chelsea press conference on Friday
- Blues boss offered updates on Levi Colwill and Romelu Lukaku
- Mason Mount's exit was also discussed
By Tom Gott
Mauricio Pochettino has already impressed fans in both his first interview and press conference as Chelsea's new manager.
The boss tackled plenty of issues, including Mason Mount's departure to Manchester United, and offered a real insight into what Chelsea fans can expect moving forwards.
Here are six things we learned from the likeable Argentine.
Keen to move on from Tottenham history
The obvious elephant in the room is Pochettino's previous allegiance with Tottenham. Still seen by some as a Spurs man, Pochettino refused to hide away from his previous work in London.
"I am very proud of my past," he confessed, before insisting his focus is now solely on delivering success with Chelsea.
Pochettino continued: "Now I need to look forward, concentrate on what people expect of me and hope to build a good relationship with everyone. We need to be right in our decision to create a competitive team. What I have found in the club from Monday is very good people, good attitudes. So far so good."
The captain's armband is up for grabs
Cesar Azpilicueta's departure to Atletico Madrid has left Chelsea without a captain. Thiago Silva and Reece James appear obvious candidates for the role from the outside, but Pochettino is not yet ready to make the decision.
Instead, he wants to take a closer look at each and every player, both on and off the pitch, to determine who is right for the squad. Reports have stated that Pochettino has commissioned the installation of cameras around Cobham to track players' attitudes and personalities, and that is something he clearly feels strongly about.
"First of all we need to see the squad and I need to know and feel the players and the commitment, the character, the personality, both positives and not so positives. We have many players with experience," he explained.
The door is open for Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku wants to return to Inter and Chelsea want to sell Romelu Lukaku. That much is clear.
What's just as obvious, however, is the difficulties the Blues are facing in striking a deal. At this point, Lukaku remains a Chelsea player, and should that remain the case, Pochettino is expecting to meet with the striker next week.
"The situation is, all parties know what we think," Pochettino explained. "He needs to come back on July 12 or 13 to be a part of the squad to start pre-season.
"Like all players when they arrive, first thing to do is to come to my office to say hello. That is what I expect if he is still a Chelsea player. Straight to my office."
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Happy to work with a recruitment team
One of the challenges of being a Chelsea manager under both the Roman Abramovich and the BlueCo ownerships has been seeing transfer decisions made by a dedicated recruitment team.
Pochettino is happy to give the 'clever' owners the chance to call the shots - "I am not a coach that needs to ask for power" - but the boss also stressed his desire to earn the recruitment team's trust and involve himself in decisions.
"I want to work with them to try and make decisions with Paul [Winstanley] and Laurence [Stewart], to work closely to make decisions for the best of the football club," he confirmed.
Ready to work with Levi Colwill
We didn't need this press conference to know that Chelsea are not looking to sell Levi Colwill this summer.
Pochettino revealed he has only briefly spoken with the in-demand defender, simply to wish him luck for the upcoming European Under-21 Championship final against Spain, before confirming his plan to see Colwill in America for pre-season.
He said: "I think the day we fly to America, [Colwill] will join us."
Not looking for a transitional season
Despite all the upheaval behind the scenes and the mass exodus of players from the dressing room, Pochettino is not looking to spend his first year at Chelsea learning the ropes. He is clearly in win-now mode.
"My target is to win, my aim is to win," he confirmed. "If you are at a football club like Chelsea, you cannot just talk about doing a nice game, playing well. If you don't win at a club like Chelsea, you're going to struggle."
"We need to bring in players, and with the players we have, we need to start to believe that, from day one, that it is about winning, being competitive, being the best."
He added: "We don't want to make the players or anyone think Chelsea have six months or one year to compete, we are working to be ready to beat Liverpool."
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