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Football London
Football London
Sport
Tom Coley

Mauricio Pochettino already has his answer to Son Heung-min at Chelsea

There has understandably been lots of attention directed towards what Mauricio Pochettino needs to do in order to create a massive turnaround at Chelsea. Which players he needs to sign, the masses that are required to move on and the sheer volume of work at hand.

Nothing is a certainty heading into a summer that promises to be one of the most unpredictable but also important in the short-term history of the club. Get things right and there is cautious hope that a quick return to the top tables of European football is in order. Get it wrong and it poses Pochettino a potential existential threat for the future.

There is more than just plenty of sales to make, here. The 51-year-old's ethos of total buy-in will be one that could grate with members of a disjointed, unorganised and largely demotivated group. Finding the characters and a family-like chemistry to combine with his elite level tactical acumen are also key.

READ MORE: Chelsea 'offered' Christian Pulisic in stunning $108m transfer swap move

It is what makes this such an interesting couple of months at hand for Chelsea and Pochettino but there are already answers for him ready to be developed and utilised. Chelsea's squad is readymade in areas to be taken on and bent to Pochettino's will.

The two full-backs have the potential to mirror his attack minded, wing-back-like approach. Enzo Fernandez can provide energy, technical skill and speed needed to dictate and control games with tempo and dynamism in midfield whilst Mason Mount looks a sure fit into any deeper or attacking role in the final third - as long as his contract situation is sorted out.

If he stays it would be a surprise not to see him flourish once more. Areas do need to be addressed, however. The goalkeeper spot needs extra additions, defensive midfield is perhaps the most specified position in Pochettino's XI due to the responsibilities of moving into centre-back and he needs a proper goalscorer, too.

These are all things Chelsea don't have but another area that they are now well stocked is out wide. In Noni Madueke they have a rogue spirit with speed and almost unstoppable dribbling at times. Christopher Nkunku is able to link up on the flanks, inside the pitch or as an unorthodox No.9 of his own.

On the left, Mykhailo Mudryk is one of the most exciting undefined players in Europe. His relative lack of football for a 22-year-old is a worry for a player without an extraordinary top-level record, but his Champions League destruction earlier this season is enough to gamble on.

Price tag aside, Mudryk is the type of mouldable weapon that Pochettino made his own at Tottenham. From Harry Kane and Dele Alli to a player more comparable to the Ukrainian in Son Heung-min. As a Premier League great now, it is easy to forget Son's initial struggles. He wanted out after just one season in London but it was Pochettino that convinced him to stay.

From a mediocre four goals in his first year he netted 14 times the year after with six assists. From that point on he has registered at least 10 goals and five assists in every season. He has over 100 Premier League goals and has established himself as one of the best in his position.

It is very early to say that Mudryk can come close to these levels but there are signs of his development that will give promise to Pochettino moving forward. It has already been reported that he had signposted an initial journey for Mudryk at Chelsea for the upcoming months and years, seeing that play out on the pitch will be a big ambition for both parties.

Son's early years as a prodigy at Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg were more impressive than Mudryk's time in Shakhtar, though. The Korean attacker had scored 10 or more goals in three straight years before getting his move to England aged 23. Mudyrk's seasons were much shorter and had less end product.

There are similarities outside of just numbers and output, though. The blistering speed mixed with raw talent are certainly one show for the pair as well as two-footedness that make each player a nightmare to mark. With that hunger to improve and clear pathway at Chelsea for Mudryk, he is perhaps one of the most intriguing players to watch.

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