Mauricio Pochettino is asking Chelsea fans to forget about last year’s woes ahead of the new season.
The former Spurs boss has less than a month to go until the opening game of the Premier League season against Liverpool on 13 August having finally commencing his new role at the start of this month.
Pochettino inherits a huge and unbalanced squad following last year’s big recruitment drive which only produced a 12th placed finish and saw the Blues go through three different managers.
The Argentinian was the man selected to take on the position full-time following Frank Lampard’s uninspiring caretaker spell, which came on the back of Graham Potter’s dismissal in April and Thomas Tuchel’s September sacking.
But Poch is adamant it is a clean slate as far as he is concerned.
He told ESPN: “I am not affected by the past because I wasn’t here. I started on 1 July.
“Of course, for us with the people that we met and the players, we try to create a good atmosphere and work hard to try to reach the level that we want.
“And then altogether to create the philosophy that we believe it is possible to create together and to try to bring this football club back to what people expect.
“Chelsea Football Club is about winning, to lift trophies – this is what we want for the future.
“We are working really hard because we need to prepare all the players to be ready to compete in the first game in the Premier League. Then we see what happens.
“There are too many things going on, not only with us but with different clubs like Liverpool also.
“What we try to do now is to try to take the best from our players.
“All the players involved in the squad need to think they can be involved in the first game against Liverpool.”
Chelsea fans can expect more departures ahead of the new campaign with Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang and Romelu Lukaku just two of the big names highly likely to move on.
Definitely heading out of the Stamford Bridge door is Welsh international Ethan Ampidou, who has joined Leeds United.
The defender made just 12 appearances for the Pensioners after signing from Exeter City six years ago.
Ampidou completed loan spells with Leipzig, Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia but has now decided to move on permanently in search of regular first team football by agreeing a four-year contract at Elland Road.
