Chelsea news: Mauricio Pochettino could unearth a new Chelsea duo as his own Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard
Enzo Fernandez has moved away from his No.5 shirt to take on an iconic Chelsea number for the 2023/24 season (Image: (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images))
Chelsea’s shirt number decisions for the 2023/24 Premier League season being confirmed has seen Mauricio Pochettino end up with his very own Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. The duo combined for some of the Blues’ greatest moments in the 21st century with both playing prominent roles in the 2012 Champions League triumph.
However, those glory days are firmly in the rear-view mirror with Todd Boehly replacing Roman Abramovich as the club’s majority owner in the summer of 2022. During his first 12 months at the helm, Boehly has seen a significant squad turnover with over £700million being spent on transfers and well over 20 players departing the club on a permanent basis.
A turgid 2022/23 campaign exposed the need for many things to change with one of those arriving in the form of Pochettino who was appointed the Blues’ new manager earlier this summer. The former Tottenham head coach is just a few days away from his first competitive game in charge of Chelsea as they take on Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
Picking a new captain is one decision awaiting Pochettino this week and the confirmation of the shirt numbers for the 2023/24 season has been revealed. The notable decisions involving Levi Colwill choosing the No.26 akin to the legend John Terry, with Raheem Sterling becoming the new No.7 and Mykhailo Mudryk moving from 15 to 10.
Two notable selections involve Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson who have taken 8 and 15 respectively with clear connotations to iconic numbers worn by Lampard and Drogba. Fernandez was able to work under Lampard last season and could certainly provide similar numbers the Blues former captain managed if he is unleashed into a more advanced role.
While Jackson, who is of African descent, like Drogba, playing for the Senegalese national team, has taken on the first number selected by the Ivory Coast forward when he initially arrived in west London from Marseille. Upon his arrival at the club this summer, Jackson spoke about Drogba and Demba Ba labelling them “icons”.
“I wanted to join a big team [and] when Chelsea came there was no question in my mind,” he said. “I always had this kind of team in my mind. I talked to my family and my agent and I have icons who played here — Drogba and Ba, big strikers. So when Chelsea came my heart said the answer should be yes and I decided to follow it and come here.
“I remember the Champions League final in 2012 and especially when Drogba scored that header right at the end. I watched those players for Chelsea when I was growing up so I decided to follow in their footsteps. Hopefully that’s what continues to happen now I’m here.”
Jackson will undoubtedly be set for a prominent role at Chelsea in the early stages of the season now that Christopher Nkunku’s knee injury has been confirmed as serious. A challenge with Mats Hummels in the pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund has resulted in Meniscus damage which needed surgery to fix with the 25-year-old to miss several months of action.
Soucre: football.london
