Pochettino urges Chelsea to prioritize local players as he nears replacing Potter.

Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly set to become the new permanent manager of Chelsea, with the club focusing on homegrown talent under his leadership. Despite the club’s struggles this season, Pochettino believes he can turn them into Premier League title contenders and has held multiple talks with the recruitment team ahead of a busy summer. The Argentine is said to be keen on developing young players and building a culture, with Chelsea admirers of how he developed Harry Kane and Dele Alli while at Tottenham. Pochettino is not keen on another spending spree and is instead focusing on integrating homegrown talent, including defender Levi Colwill, into the team. However, there is uncertainty over the futures of fellow academy graduates Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah. Pochettino will also have to make decisions on whether to offload players such as Romelu Lukaku and Thiago Silva. Despite the prospect of no European football next season, Pochettino is undeterred and has already assessed who would start in his line-up. He has also informed Chelsea which staff members he would like to bring with him to the club.