Mauricio Pochettino used his formal unveiling as Chelsea manager to warn that the club must move on quickly from their disastrous campaign last season as there is “no patience” in football.
The first 12 months of ownership for Todd Boehly’s Clearlake capital consortium saw the team record its lowest Premier League finish in 29 years and score fewer league goals than in any season since 1924.
The former Spurs boss, whose appointment was confirmed over a month ago, officially began work at Cobham on Monday and faces the daunting task of picking up the pieces from a season that saw two managers dismissed and more than £600million spent assembling a bloated, unbalanced squad.
Work has begun on slimming down the playing staff and shrinking the wage bill with Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante among nine first-team players to have left since the transfer window re-opened.
Pochettino promised more movement in the transfer market and said he would take a more hands-on role in recruitment now that he has formally started work, though co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart will continue to lead the process.
Chelsea begin life competitively under their new manager against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on August 13, and the Argentinian said he and his players should not expect to be afforded a transitional period in which to heal from their last campaign.
“Every single season, not only the players but also the staff and the people and the fans have the capacity to move on quick,” said Pochettino. “In football, you need to move on quick. If not, you are dead.
“Of course what I found from day one – and it’s true that the squad is not the whole squad yet – but the players were very open, the attitude is amazing. Of course we have
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