Mauricio Pochettino has previously said that he is eager to trim his Chelsea squad (Image: GETTY)
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Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping for Jose Mourinho to do him a huge favour when it comes to trimming his Chelsea squad in the January transfer window. The Blues have signed a total of 30 players under Todd Boehly and will likely be active once again in the winter market as they look to prepare for the business end of the campaign.
Chelsea currently have 29 first-team players in their dressing room, meaning that nine of them are left out of their matchday squads on a weekly basis. Pochettino has been vocal about trimming the size of the group since his arrival at Stamford Bridge and may be helped to do so in January by Mourinho, who is reportedly keen on raiding the Blues for two of their fringe players.
The legendary Portuguese manager is interested in bringing Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr to Roma when the bidding opens in the new year, according to Calciomercato. The duo have struggled for game time at Chelsea this season, with both players yet to make a single competitive appearance for the west Londoners in any competition.
Chalobah is also said to be admired by the likes of Newcastle and Bayern Munich, which suggests that Roma could face a battle to secure his signature in January. Sarr, meanwhile, has been unable to break through at Chelsea since joining the club three years ago and does not appear to have a future at Stamford Bridge either.
Mourinho, therefore, would be doing Chelsea a favour by taking both Chalobah and Sarr off their hands in the not-too-distant future. It would certainly help Chelsea to reduce the size of their squad in January, with a few sales able to reduce the possibility of fringe players growing unhappy and kicking up a fuss.
It would also help Pochettino to focus solely on the players who form part of his plans as he looks to get Chelsea firing on all cylinders once again. He recently underlined the importance of trimming the numbers in the dressing room in order to retain the right balance and avoid a squad 'mess' behind the scenes.
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"I think we need to define the squad as I think we are 29 players here and it is massive," said Pochettino earlier this year. "At the moment the dynamic is very good, really good guys and they are sharing the time together. It is difficult because sometimes in every game three, four, five players cannot play and the mood is difficult.
"It is about creating a squad with good balance and people who have the opportunity to play and can compete for their place. That is a big job for us in the transfer window to build a good relationship. If players are not happy because they believe they are not going to play, we are going to find a solution with the club and fix the situation.
"What we cannot have is a massive squad, players not be involved and then it’s going to create a mess in the squad. Maybe less is more and more is less, it is not mathematic. That is why I need to make clear we don’t need a big squad."
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