The Mauricio Pochettino era is underway and Chelsea’s chaotic summer is set to commence.

The underperforming and bloated squad must be trimmed, but the arrivals are just as important as the former Tottenham Hotspur coach will need to pinpoint the right blend of experience and youth.

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT that the Argentine has emphasised the importance of signing “Premier League proven quality” players at Stamford Bridge to try and reverse the club’s dismal slump into midtable mediocrity.

One player who fits this profile and has been recently linked with Chelsea is Wilfried Zaha, whose reputation and pedigree could massively benefit Pochettino.

What’s the latest on Wilfried Zaha to Chelsea?

According to football.london, the Blues and Arsenal are keeping tabs on the uncertain future of the Palace legend.

However, it's said that the respective parties are now in a battle to sign him, amid interest in his services from Atletico Madrid, per the Daily Mail.

The 30-year-old’s contract is due to expire on 30 June, and he’s been offered a new deal of £200k-per-week, an upgrade on his current terms of £130k-per-week. However, he is yet to put pen to paper in what would surely end the dream of ever playing Champions League football.

Although the West London outfit isn’t competing in European competitions in the upcoming season, the mind-boggling spending power of the new ownership and the plethora of youth talent available means that the club could forge a new bid to get back into the top six.

Would Zaha be a good fit at Chelsea?

The Ivorian has recorded 111 goal contributions in 305 Premier League appearances across his career and has established himself as a formidable asset of a consistently mid-table league outfit, who looks destined to make the step-up in his career.

The forward is a player brimming with effervescence and quality, showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 13% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 and the highest 20% for successful take-ons per 90, according to FBref.

The 2021 Champions League winners have desperately lacked quality from wide areas this term and under Pochettino’s stewardship, the Eagles star could emerge as the 51-year-old’s next Son Heung-min.

Between 2016 and 2018, with Pochettino at the helm, the South Korean sensation notched 41 goal involvements in 71 outings - he was relentlessly efficient, tricky, and pacey - deploying the same wing play that Zaha uses to terrorise defenders.

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This season, Zaha has averaged two dribbles per game, and last year, when Son finished as the division’s top scorer, he managed 1.9 dribbles per game, as both players possess a ruthless directness.

These figures are definitely something that the former Manchester United starlet could replicate, especially with Ben Chilwell consistently overlapping on the attack.

Hailed as “outstanding” by Ally McCoist and given the strategy that Pochettino is aiming to implement, Zaha would be a welcome addition to the squad.