Pochettino drops major Chelsea future hint as Serie A striker stance set

Mauricio Pochettino will be looking forward to putting his feet up following Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth. The Blues cruised to victory at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, finishing sixth place in the Premier League and securing European football.

Until Manchester United lock horns with Manchester City in the FA Cup final, it remains to be seen whether Chelsea will be playing in the Europa League or Conference League next term. If the Red Devils defeat their rivals then Pochettino’s side will be placed in the latter competition.

In other news, the summer transfer window is just around the corner and the west Londoners continue to be heavily linked with some big names. But, for now, it’s unclear whether or not Todd Boehly will sanction another spending spree.

So, with that being said, football.london has taken a look at some of the biggest Chelsea stories on Monday, May 20.

Pochettino hint

Mauricio Pochettino has provided an update on his future at Chelsea. Speaking to reporters after the Bournemouth clash, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss was quizzed on whether or not he’s due to attend an ‘end-of-season’ meeting with the owners.

He replied: “I don’t know if that is going to happen or not. I don’t have any idea about this. All I can tell you is on Friday night, Todd invited me for a dinner and it was a very nice dinner together.

“But I don’t know about the rumours about the review. My staff tomorrow are flying for their holidays. I am going to stay in London for a few more days. I am always open. My phone is going to be on.”

READ MORE: Cole Palmer reveals Chelsea dressing room’s brutally honest stance on Mauricio Pochettino

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football.london says: “At first, I couldn’t see Chelsea sacking Pochettino. But, after Brighton confirmed the departure of Roberto De Zerbi I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Blues go for the Italian now that he’s available for ‘free’.”

Lukaku transfer stance

Daniele De Rossi remained coy when he was asked if Roma will try to sign Romelu Lukaku permanently. The 31-year-old striker has spent the season on loan in the Italian capital, scoring 13 goals in 32 Serie A games.

Speaking to DAZN, the Roma boss said: “I will do everything I can to make this team better, but every year a coach sits down with the President and directors to discuss how to improve.

“There are budgets and parameters to respect, as do all clubs now, but we haven’t talked about what we will do yet. We’ll try to build a Roma that can finish higher up the table. I always said Roma are a team who ought to compete for the top four.

“It’s not guaranteed, of course, as Inter, Milan and Juventus are superior, but we have Lazio, Napoli and Fiorentina behind us, all strong teams. The top four is where Roma were for many years and I don’t believe there are this many teams clearly stronger than us. We just need to be more consistent.”

football.london says: “Chelsea should offload Lukaku at all costs this summer. Erasing his wages from the books would take a huge weight off of the Blues’ shoulders ahead of what could be a busy transfer window.”

Casadei eyes return

Cesare Casadei has hinted that he could be apart of Chelsea’s first-team squad next season. The 21-year-old midfielder, who joined the Blues from Inter Milan in August 2022, featured off the bench against Bournemouth.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Casadei thanked Chelsea supporters for their ‘love and support’ before committing himself to next term. He wrote: “Three solid points as we come to the end of the season. Thank you for the Love and support. I hope to see you all soon.”

While Casadei has featured 36 times across all competitions this season, he’s only played 1,179 minutes – which is just over half an hour an appearance. The Italy Under-21 international will be looking for more opportunities next season, whether that’s at Stamford Bridge or not.

football.london says: “Casadei should have never been recalled from his loan with Leicester City – but that’s another story. The midfielder should spend next term on loan with a Serie A club who are willing to give him a good amount of game time. He has lots of potential, but unfortunately things just haven’t gone his way since joining Chelsea.”