With the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as the new Chelsea manager on the horizon, the Argentine must begin trimming a hideously bloated squad and attempt to repair the damage inflicted by the brazenly uncalculated Todd Boehly.
The new ownership has splashed extortionate funds on various underperforming players and with possible FFP regulations bearing down the west Londoners, they may need to resort to their wealth of academy talent as their saving grace.
One new signing, who has drastically failed to impress the Stamford Bridge faithful is Marc Cucurella, and his £60m transfer fee has emerged as a horrendous piece of business.
Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen, who spent the season on loan at Burnley has enjoyed an incredible year in the Championship and deserves to be integrated into the future first-team plans by the incoming boss.
Who is Ian Maatsen?
The 21-year-old has made 39 appearances in the second tier and has been an integral cog of a side that scored the most goals (87) and conceded the fewest (35) as Vincent Kompany’s side ruthlessly cantered to the league title.
During this run, the left-back registered ten goal contributions, as well as averaging two tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game, to demonstrate himself as an astute all-rounder with imperious attacking and defensive capabilities.
In a previous loan spell at Coventry, his former teammate Simon Moore showered the youngster in praise and said: “It says a lot about how good he is that even a slightly off day stands out as exceptional.
“It is not normal. The kid is bright, he’s hugely talented, he wants to learn, and he never gives up. Maats has got an exciting future ahead of him.”
In the last two years, the Dutchman has ruthlessly exposed himself to be far too good for Championship football – an intoxicating blend of aggression, athleticism, technique, and tireless drive.
In a 2-1 win against Swansea in January, the full-back netted two wondrous screamers to underline his potency and industrious attacking flair.
Mark Robins has said he “exhibits maturity beyond his years” and this plethora of evidence makes a hugely compelling case for his inclusion in Pochettino’s plans.
Meanwhile, Cucurella has been unable to replicate the frightening dynamism and solidity he displayed at Brighton and is yet to make his mark in the capital.
The Spaniard dismally ranks in the bottom 28% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries per 90, and his inability to acclimatise to more pressurised surroundings has inhibited all his potential.
The full-back has simply made far too many errors this campaign, notably stepping wildly out of position which ultimately led to Ben Chilwell's red card against Madrid in the Champions League.
Thus, Pochettino walks into the job, he could seal an immediate masterclass by ditching the underperforming defender for a hungry fresh face.