Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Lesley Ugochukwu will be loaned out and won’t be part of his first-team plans for the upcoming season.

It was reported that a decision would be made on the Frenchman’s future in the coming days, following his £23m arrival from Rennes, but Pochettino has already made it clear the player won’t be at Stamford Bridge this campaign.

“It’s obvious that maybe we need to reinforce this area. We need experience in midfield. My information is a player that is from France that they sign with the idea for some loan. The information was already in your [the journalist’s] laptop. Nothing to say too much.”

Based on Pochettino’s comments, it appears that the Argentine was not involved in signing Ugochukwu, with the club’s co-sporting directors Lawrence Stewart and Paul Winstanley the ones approving the transfer.

Considering the player cost £23m, and Chelsea’s transfer budget is not limitless, it is slightly surprising that Pochettino did not have more of a say.

Chelsea fans will need to watch Strasbourg to see Ugochukwu in action

With Strasbourg now very much the Blues’ feeder club, it is expected that Ugochukwu will be loaned out to the Ligue One side very shortly.

Other Chelsea players are set to follow him once the London club’s preseason is over. Summer signing Angelo Gabriel is also poised for a move across the channel while, if a deal is wrapped up, Elye Wahi would likely join the pair.

Midfielders for the first team are still a transfer priority

As Pochettino mentions, he wants to bring in more experience in midfield before the transfer window closes on September 1st.

Brighton’s Moises Caicedo remains a top target for the Blues, but the club are believed to be exploring potential alternatives on the transfer market if an agreement for the Ecuadorian international cannot be reached.