Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly on the verge of becoming the new Chelsea manager but faces a mammoth uphill task to mend their damaging state.

The Argentine will need to trim a hideously bloated squad and attempt to add some much-needed depth to a side that has experienced an absurd amount of change in the past 12 months.

After Todd Boehly’s unconventional transfer dealings, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss is expected to be handed significant control of the new signings.

However, one deal that has already been completed is that of Christopher Nkunku, who will join the Blues in the summer, and in the Frenchman, Pochettino could unearth his next Dele Alli.

How did Alli play under Pochettino?

The 51-year-old created the Englishman into an absolute monster and one of the potent assets in the Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur.

In four full seasons together, Alli registered 74 goal contributions in 131 top-flight outings, as he was named PFA Young Player of the Year on two separate occasions.

Since Pochettino was dismissed by Daniel Levy in 2019, the 27-year-old’s career has drastically declined with unproductive stints at Everton and Besiktas - scoring just three times in those spells - just highlighting the incredible job the coach did in mentoring and nurturing this previously formidable talent.

How good is Christopher Nkunku?

The forward has supposedly already secured a £63m move to Stamford Bridge and looks set to unite with Pochettino in the coming weeks.

So far this season, the Frenchman has been in unstoppable form, having recorded 24 goals and assists in 31 appearances in all competitions. Despite missing nine of the last 15 Bundesliga games through injury, the eight-cap international is still the league’s second top scorer with 13 goals.

Christopher-Nkunku

The attacker has also received comparable accolades to Alli, being crowned as the Bundesliga Player of the Season and Footballer of the Year in Germany in 2022.

Achim Beierlorzer, Leipzig's former assistant coach, is a massive fan of the star and said that he can be considered a "world-class player."

Similarly to Alli, he can appear across the frontline but can mainly occupy the position just behind the striker, whilst chipping in with his outrageous concoction of skill, potency, and playmaking.

American coach Jesse Marsch also fuelled Nkunku’s reputation and feels he "doesn’t have any weaknesses."

This season, Kai Havertz has often been deployed in similar positions, but he has failed to convince the Stamford Bridge faithful of his quality or consistency, as he still desperately clings to the 2021 Champions League-winning goal to rescue his legacy.

Although he is Chelsea's top scorer this term with nine goals, he could well be ousted by the incoming Leipzig man.

Indeed, the addition of Nkunku will be welcome and necessary, and Pochettino could ignite his career in English football as he did so well with Dele.