Chelsea: New Mauricio Pochettino start date confirmed ahead of pre-season unveiling
Pochettino’s contract officially begins on Saturday but his first day on the job at Cobham will be at the start of next week.
The 51-year-old was appointed at the end of May but he is yet to conduct any in-house interviews with Chelsea and will be unveiled during pre-season.
A small group of first-team players will also return to Cobham next week, including Armando Broja, who is fit again following a serious knee injury, and those who did not play in the June internationals. They are likely to be joined by some players from the Under-21 squad.
International players have been given their own individual return dates so they can have a substantial post-season break. Pochettino will have exactly two weeks to drill his players at Cobham before Chelsea fly to the United States for their pre-season tour.
Chelsea are set to fly to Raleigh, North Carolina on July 17 before conducting a training session the following day and facing Wrexham in Chapel Hill on July 19.
Getting to work: Mauricio Pochettino will start his job at Chelsea on Monday
/ Getty ImagesWhile based in Philadelphia, they then face Brighton, Newcastle and Fulham in the Premier League’s inaugural Summer Series.
Chelsea conclude their tour with a final match against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago on August 2 and will fly back to London immediately after the match.
They will have nearly 10 days before Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge for their opening Premier League game on August 13.
Pochettino has remained in contact with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, who have led the club’s transfer activity this summer.
