Chelsea newboy reveals Sadio Mane conversation about Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea have officially signed Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal

New signing Nicolas Jackson has already gained clarity on the incoming Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, who will take over in the upcoming days.

Jackson, who joined the Blues yesterday, has signed an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge and will be ready to face Pochettino’s gruelling training sessions.

The West Londoners were busy cutting down their bloated squad and have already sold a decent number of players to make room for new signings in the transfer window. But they are also actively in the market for incomings, as shown by Jackson’s signing.

Some of the top departures have been Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City and Kai Havertz to Arsenal. Mason Mount is set to join Manchester United, and N’Golo Kante has signed with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad.

Meanwhile, Pochettino, who was appointed Chelsea’s new manager after a number of rounds of interviews with the former Tottenham Hotspur manager, is said to start his work on July 1. The 51-year-old will take charge of a disjointed squad that endured a poor spell in the 2022–23 season and finished 12^th in the Premier League.

But new acquisitions Senegalese are now aware of what Pochettino is going to do with players’ fitness and how he will implement his system of player development, as he told Chelsea’s official website:

“I spoke to Sadio Mane about him, and he spoke very highly of him; he said amazing things about him. Sadio told me the manager is going to help me a lot to improve and do well if I listen to what he has to say, so that is exactly what I’m going to do.”

Given that Mane was a young player when he played for Southampton and made his name under the Argentine coach, he would be familiar with what Pochettino is capable of with his brand of play and how he can assist both junior and mature players in their development.

Mane’s 25 goals and 14 assists in 75 games for the Saints were enough to convince Liverpool to cash in, and hopefully, Jackson will follow the same path. If he proves to be even half the player the current Bayern Munich forward is, we would have a bargain on our hands.

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Chelsea could also prove to be a smart move for his career. The Blues are a European giant who would want seasoned superstars at the club, which Jackson isn’t right now. But Poch’s presence should be enough to assure the young newcomers that the project is centred around them.