Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea have been the greatest team to play in England over the last 15 years

Mauricio Pochettino says there is plenty of work still to do in order to shape his Chelsea squad ready for the new season – despite boldly claiming the club has been the best team in England over the last decade and a half.

Frank Lampard was in charge in an interim capacity at the end of the last campaign – which saw them endure their worst season since the formation of the Premier League.

One of Pochettino’s first jobs is to cut down a heavily bloated squad. This was amassed during a £600m spending spree during the last year, which left some training sessions during the previous campaign featuring up to 40 players.

This has already been reduced during the off-season, with nine players removed from the club’s books already.

However, speaking for the first time since arriving at Chelsea, Pochettino’s made it clear that further comings and goings will be happening.

“It is not closed, the squad, and the club is doing a fantastic job to finish the squad so we have the players here to work with us as soon as possible. Together, we are going to be in a perfect situation to work and develop the way we want to apply ourselves on the pitch.”

Speaking about restoring pride to Chelsea following their disastrous previous campaign, Pochettino said: “I think it’s important and it’s a culture of winning. In the last 10, 12, 15 years, Chelsea is the greatest team in England. I know very well the Premier League and what the culture of Chelsea means. I think our fans are excited to again be on the road of trying to win.”

“We are excited to work with a very young team, with a different approach than in the past. But I think we all need to understand that we have to work really hard and create a very good atmosphere at the training ground to build success for the team in the next few years.”

Todd Boehly’s extravagant spending since arriving at Stamford Bridge as owner clearly played its part in their confused and messy 2022/23 season, but Pochettino has praised the vision of the club’s hierarchy.

“From the beginning, the owners and sporting directors were very clear about the project and we were very excited to join them in this project. We are here to try to help the club and the fans. In the end, the most important thing in football is for them to be happy and to feel proud of us and in the way we approach games. The players need to know that.”

“Of course, there are always up and downs in the history of football, but Chelsea is a club that it is impossible to have these up and downs. We need to be sure that we bring what the club needs to be at the top because the history of the club is to be at the top.”

After a year away from the game, Pochettino is back in management for the first time since leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite picking up the Ligue 1 title and a Coupe de France trophy during his time at Parc des Princes, Pochettino had a largely difficult time during his stay in the French capital, with poor away form and suggestions of a lack of authority working with big name players such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

However, Pochettino thinks his struggles will only enhance his performance as a coach.

“I am much, much, much better! No, I think it is an important experience to analyse. We have had times in the past to analyse everything and to be better. Evolution is every day, trying to be better. Experiences are something you must capitalise on because if not, experience is nothing.”