Chelsea signed French teenager Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes (Pictures: Getty)
Mauricio Pochettino has described Lesley Ugochukwu as a ‘young, talented player’ following his move to Chelsea and hinted he could soon be joined at Stamford Bridge by more new signings.
Chelsea continued their extraordinary spending spree under Todd Boehly by signing Ugochukwu from Rennes on a seven-year deal for £23m.
The 19-year-old midfielder made 47 Ligue 1 appearances for Rennes and has featured regularly for France’s junior teams, though he is still waiting to make his full international debut.
Ugochukwu bolsters Pochettino’s options in midfield following the departures of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount, although the teenager may yet be sent back out on loan.
‘Today is going to be his first training session with us,’ Pochettino said of his new player. ‘He is a young, talented player.
‘We don’t know if he will have the possibility to play tomorrow as we need to assess him.
‘We will assess him for the transfer window to see if he will be with us because he is young. He has the possibility to be on loan or stay with us.’
Ugochukwu could be sent on loan following his move to Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley added: ‘Ugochukwu is an impressive young player who has already made his mark in Ligue 1.
‘He has a huge amount of potential and we know he is going to continue to develop and improve.
‘We are pleased that he has joined us in the United States [on their pre-season tour] and that he will be able to integrate with the squad quickly.’
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Pochettino also suggested Chelsea could be set for a busy end to the summer transfer window as he prepares for his first season in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat.
Under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, Chelsea slumped to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
‘I am happy with how the club is working,’ Pochettino said. ‘We are working hard to try to finish the squad as soon as possible.
Chelsea conclude their pre-season schedule against Borussia Dortmund (Picture: Getty)
‘But we all understand that maybe during the last few weeks of the transfer window, things are going to happen.
‘It is always better to have everything closed before. But not only for us, every other club too. It is important to close the squad in the way that we want.’
Chelsea conclude their pre-season schedule against Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund on Thursday ahead of their Premier League opener against Liverpool on August 13.
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Chelsea have handed out another seven-year contract.
