Mauricio Pochettino calls for 'leaders' ahead of Chelsea captaincy decision
- Chelsea set to lose captain Cesar Azpilicueta to Atletico Madrid
- Blues have few senior players to select from to inherit armband
- Pochettino wants squad of 'leaders'
By Sean Walsh
New Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he wants 'leaders, not followers' in his squad ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Pochettino arrived at the club's Cobham training base for the first time on Monday and began to win fans over by stating the Blues have been England's best club over the past decade.
The Argentine has quite the job on his hands after Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League last season - their lowest since the 1993/94 campaign.
Their squad is undergoing major surgery ahead of a year without European football - N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz have all left, with Mason Mount also on the verge of an exit.
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Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to join Atletico Madrid and there are few notable candidates to inherit the armband, but Pochettino has issued a rallying cry to his squad to step up and become leaders.
"We need leaders, not followers, in every single area and we will push every person to bring their best and give their best for the club," Pochettino said.
He added: "If we are all together, we are going to be very strong. We have an unbelievable squad and for sure are going to bring players with commitment who want to be part of it also. With the fans and everyone, we can find again the way to be successful."
Chelsea have not yet made a decision over the captaincy with Azpilicueta's move yet to be finalised, but it is likely that vice-captain Thiago Silva will take on the role.
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On this edition of Son of Chelsea, part of the 90min podcast network, Daniel Childs reacts to Mauricio Pochettino's first interview as the Blues' head coach! If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!