Chelsea face Wrexham on Wednesday to kick off their 2023/24 pre-season campaign and what Mauricio Pochettino does in the match could well hint at the club’s future transfer activity
Chelsea’s New Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea Training Ground (Image: Darren Walsh)
Chelsea take on newly-promoted League Two side Wrexham on Wednesday as they kick off their pre-season campaign in North Carolina.
The Blues jet off to the United States as they begin life under Mauricio Pochettino to prepare for a big 2023/24 season under the Argentine’s tutelage. Chelsea will take on Wrexham, before three games against Premier League opposition in Brighton, Fulham and Newcastle United. They wrap up their tour of America with a clash against Borussia Dortmund.
Pochettino will trial and experiment with his squad as he gets to know his new players in these five matches. It is still an unknown regarding what system the 51-year-old will go with by the time Chelsea take on Liverpool in their Premier League opener in less than a month.
While the personnel Pochettino uses against Wrexham will not really mean that much in the long run, the formation and system the Chelsea head coach could have implications on his plans going forward at Stamford Bridge. Some players have had a lot more time in training than others, and the ones who have been at Cobham for a longer time could be handed more minutes against Wrexham on Wednesday.
New signing Christopher Nkunku joined up with his Chelsea teammates for the first time on Friday afternoon at Cobham. The France international, who finally joined the Blues this summer after a deal was agreed with RB Leipzig last season, has big expectations on his shoulders following some breathtaking numbers in Germany.
Nkunku was used all across the front-line for Leipzig but the position he really flourished in was the central striker. It remains to be seen the role he will take up in the Chelsea squad under Pochettino but either way it is set to answer a big question.
If the 25-year-old is used at all against Wrexham then it will go some way in showing whether Chelsea need an out-and-out No.9 this summer. Going into the window, football.london was told a centre-forward was one of the priority areas for the club but they have since brought in Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson was signed for £30million from Villarreal after an impressive end to the season in La Liga. At 22-years-old, though, he could well be one for the future rather than being an immediate starter under Pochettino. However, that remains to be seen.
Armando Broja has recently returned to training following the serious knee injury he suffered in December. The Albanian striker could be handed more of a role in the Chelsea side this season because of the lack of options in attacking areas but he will need to be eased back into first-team action.
Meanwhile, David Datro Fofana has recently been loaned out to Union Berlin for the 2023/24 campaign in the hope the Ivorian will get some valuable minutes in Germany. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Romelu Lukaku are both expected to leave in the coming weeks on permanent deals.
Chelsea have a long standing interest in Victor Osimhen, but the lack of European football makes it incredibly difficult to attract one of the world’s most in-demand strikers to Stamford Bridge right now. Ivan Toney is an option that may well be explored in January when his ban from football has concluded.
The match against Wrexham, while on the surface might not mean that much, could have plenty of little things to keep an eye out for. What Pochettino does with his front-line, whether that’s from the start or later in the game, is fascinating.
Soucre: football.london
