Four Chelsea players who could lose their spot under Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea are likely to confirm the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino this week with the 51-year-old former Tottenham boss having verbally agreed to be the next boss at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues Board led by co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have carefully landed on Pochettino to be the new manager of the club, taking over from Graham Potter who signed for five years but lasted only seven months in the deal.

This season has been one to forget for the new owners who had lofty dreams but have seen the Blues crash out of Europe and miss out on Champions League football for next season.

New signings like Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, and Mykhailo Mudryk have all failed to hit the ground running consistently and the appointment of Pochettino will come as a reset for everyone at the club including those who have been playing regularly.

World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez has looked good and sharp mostly- but there is a feeling that he needs a proper holding midfielder besite him to unleash his full potential.

There are some players who have played regularly but given every manager makes changes and introduces new faces to rejig the team-here are four players who could lose their starting spot under the new Chelsea manager.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

The Spanish goalkeeper has shown mental strength to reclaim his number spot from Edouard Mendy, something that looked impossible when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021.

Kepa has 26 league games this season, nine clean sheets and but has conceded 27 times. He was on the bench in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest over the weekend, it will be interesting to see if he returns for the remaining three games of the campaign.

But one thing is certain- Kepa’s long-term future at the club still remains uncertain with Pochettino likely to bring in a goalkeeper who instills confidence in the backline. This summer could be pivotal for the goalkeeper who signed for Chelsea in August 2018.

Raheem Sterling

Sterling has been an enigma, he’s looked good in patches and was by far the best Chelsea player over the weekend with his goals securing a point for the Blues.

The 28-year-old has got nine goals and four assists in 36 games in all competitions. He’s also had injury issues, and has looked lost in some games, either just overthinking, under-hitting, or overhitting a pass or a finish.

Having arrived from Manchester City in the summer to lead the project, it will be interesting to see how Pochettino gets him to fire on all cylinders and most importantly be consistent.

Kai Havertz

It's been really hard to tell Kai Havertz’s biggest strength, if he’s a striker he doesn't score enough, if he’s a winger he’s not quick enough and if he’s a midfielder he doesn't create or pass well enough.

He does have a good run off the ball to arrive in a dangerous place to finish, so his role is one that needs proper identification when the new Chelsea boss starts work in the summer.

The German has got just nine goals and one assist from 44 games across board. Not good enough to be a striker at Chelsea or an attacking midfielder.

N’Golo Kante

There are some fans who believe N’Golo Kante should always start when he’s fit and that is a genuine claim but there is also no hiding from the fact he just doesnt stay fit often these days.

How do you build a team around a player who has missed more than he’s played in the last two years- this season Kante has missed the World Cup and has played just nine games. It’s still unclear if he’ll sign a new deal so Pochettino will also need to see if he wants to have him around and what role exactley he’ll be in.

Thius summer will be pivotal with Chelsea’s unmanageable 32 first team players needing a meticulous triming and a culture needing to be built.

But there is also a critical need for a player who can score goals, a proper defensive midfielder to sit alongside record signing Enzo Fernandez and a goalkeeper who inspires confidence in the backline.