In Focus: The young Blues who could flourish under Poch

After a disastrous season, Chelsea are hoping to look forward to an exciting new era with Mauricio Pochettino in charge.

While the ex-Tottenham coach has a mammoth task rebuilding his bloated squad in West London, it is one that is brimming with exciting young talent.

We look at the Blues players who could flourish under Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

Armando Broja

Chelsea's plight in front of goal last term was well-documented but they may not need to look too far to find a suitable No9 for next season.

Academy graduate Armando Broja enjoyed an impressive spell on loan at Southampton in 2021-22 and was beginning to make his mark in the Blues team prior to a horrific mid-season knee injury.

With the 21-year-old Albania international hoping to return for pre-season, he will be determined to convince his Argentine manager he need not splash the cash on a new striker. 

Benoit Badiashile

Benoit Badiashile was one of the few purchases from Chelsea's money-spinning January transfer window to earn regular plaudits for his displays.

His arrival into the Blues XI coincided with three consecutive clean sheets before finding the net in Frank Lampard's only win as Chelsea interim boss at Bournemouth.

A hamstring issue means he may miss the start of the next campaign but the Frenchman has shown enough to be a prominent feature of Poch's new defence once fit.

Noni Madueke

Another to show fleeting signs of his quality was Noni Madueke, who joined from PSV Eindhoven in the mid-season window.

Madueke, 21, had to bide his time for his chance among Chelsea's wealth of attacking options but started five of their final six league games.

The ex-Spurs youngster opened his account for the Blues at Arsenal and is a forward who should survive the summer clear-out.

Carney Chukwuemeka

It has not quite happened for English midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka at Chelsea following the 19-year-old's £20million move from Aston Villa last summer.

The European Under-19 Championship winner was once hailed as one of the country's brightest talents and showed signs of that promise during his 14 Premier League appearances.

Chelsea's unsettled side would have been difficult for any player to come into last season and Pochettino will hope to instil a better functioning outfit that allows prospects like Chukwuemeka to thrive.

Lewis Hall

Among the expensive signings at Stamford Bridge, a homegrown talent could emerge as a star under Pochettino.

Teenager Lewis Hall deputised at left wing-back 11 times in all competitions last season, putting in a host of eye-catching performances.

With the jury out on Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell's injury problems persisting, the 18-year-old has proved himself to be a worthy option in that area.

Levi Colwill

Levi Colwill enjoyed the best campaign out of all the players on this list — and it is perhaps unsurprising that it occurred away from Stamford Bridge.

The centre-back was sent to Brighton on loan as part of the deal that saw Cucurella go the other direction and helped the Seagulls reach the Europa League for the first time.

Brighton are reportedly keen to bring him back to the South Coast but it is likely that the 20-year-old will form part of a new-look defence in West London.