Mauricio Pochettino has hidden gem to save Chelsea millions and solve huge transfer problem

After a long and thorough conversation with Thomas Tuchel last summer, Carney Chukwuemeka could not wait to get started at Chelsea.

The 19-year-old midfielder, who was at Aston Villa at the time, was the subject of strong interest from the Blues. After a detailed chat with then head coach Tuchel, Chukwuemeka was persuaded to move to Stamford Bridge in a deal that would eventually be worth £20million.

Tuchel assured the young midfielder he would be given opportunities to showcase his talents in the first-team at Chelsea – a major factor in luring him to Stamford Bridge. However, Chukwuemeka played just 15 times for Chelsea – in all competitions – during his debut season with the club. Only two of those 15 appearances came from the start.

He was reduced to just 345 minutes in the Premier League. As a youngster trying to express yourself and convince the manager of your talents, that is not enough time. Chukwuemeka did show glimpses of his incredible talent, though, and many Chelsea supporters were calling on the youngster to be handed more minutes in the first-team.

The Austria-born midfielder, who represents England Under-20s, now has a big summer transfer window ahead of him. Chukwuemeka needs to have a conversation with newly-appointed head coach Mauricio Pochettino about his role in the squad next season. Whether or not he appears in the Argentine's plans or perhaps a loan move would be more beneficial.

As reported at the beginning of May, Chelsea would consider loaning Chukwuemeka out ahead of next season. That, football.london understands, remains the case but only if the club were to bring in multiple midfielders before the summer transfer window closes. Otherwise the Blues would be left very short of options in the