A busy summer on and off the training pitch has seen some exciting new arrivals at Chelsea, with Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson in particular having impressed in our friendly wins over Wrexham and Brighton in America, as they begin their Blues careers.

There have been a number of departures too, as Pochettino’s squad has been trimmed over the summer following a year of expansion. While it is clear there are no bad feelings towards those who have decided now is the right time to move on from Stamford Bridge, our head coach – himself a newcomer to Chelsea since the end of last season – has underlined the importance of ensuring every member of the side is fully motivated and committed to the task that lies ahead, while allowing those who are not to leave for new challenges elsewhere.

‘The most important thing in all these situations is that the players decide to be here at Chelsea,’ explained the Argentinian. ‘Then if you came from outside or through the Academy, it’s the same.

‘You need to feel you desire to be here and be committed to Chelsea. If you are not committed to the project, we will find a solution for both sides.

‘I think all the players we have here are committed to help the team and club to be in the same position Chelsea were, historically.’

One of the reasons Pochettino feels the players’ commitment is so essential is his belief that the challenge we face this season will be bigger than ever, as the Premier League has never been tougher.

Such is the strength throughout the English top-flight these days, Mauricio has dismissed talk of a ‘big six’ as irrelevant and outdated, with every team capable of competing for a place in the upper reaches of the table.

‘The Premier League is the big 20! Every team in the Premier League is strong, it is very competitive,' he added.

‘Now it’s changed a little bit the perception. It’s true in the past there were different teams there, but this is the most competitive league in the world. I think it’s unfair now to say top six, top seven, and which teams you put there.

‘In the table last season, Chelsea were out of the top six. It’s a really competitive league and now I think we have to stop talking about the top four, six or seven.’

If any example of that fact were needed, it will come later today, when our next pre-season opponents in the USA are Newcastle United. The Magpies arrive in Atlanta fresh from finishing fourth in the 2022/23 Premier League table, despite having ended the previous campaign 11th, a full decade since their last Champions League qualification.

All pre-season tour matches* will be available to watch live and free of charge on the official Chelsea app and the official Chelsea website. Broadcasting for each game starts 30 minutes before kick-off.

(*excludes USA and UK where the Brighton, Newcastle and Fulham matches will be shown on NBC Sports and Sky Sports respectively)