Mauricio Pochettino is close to being officially appointed Chelsea’s new manager, with the former Tottenham boss agreeing a deal and details of his decision already coming to light
There’s light at the end of the tunnel for Chelsea fans, with the season almost at an end and Mauricio Pochettino poised to be confirmed as their new manager.
After sacking Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter before appointing Frank Lampard on an interim basis, Todd Boehly will welcome in yet another boss at the end of this miserable campaign. It can’t come soon enough, too, with Saturday’s deflating 2-2 draw at home to relegation candidates Nottingham Forest reminding supporters of their predicament.
Set for a bottom-half Premier League finish for only the second time in Chelsea’s history, the Blues need a refresh and fast. Fortunately, Pochettino has agreed terms and details of his return to management have already emerged.
Here’s a round-up of the latest news from Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino turned down eight clubs
Mauricio Pochettino certainly hasn’t been short of suitors since being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain a year ago. BBC Sport claim that the Argentine coach, 51, had previously received approaches across Europe from Benfica, Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla, Villarreal and Nice, as well as from within the Premier League.
Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Leeds were all keen to appoint Pochettino as their new boss at some stage this season. Forest decided to stick with promotion-winning manager Steve Cooper but Villa and Leeds still made changes.
Mauricio Pochettino will manage Chelsea next season ( Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Have your say! Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man for Chelsea? Let us know your verdict in the comments section.
Silva quashes exit claims
Thiago Silva has denied that he’s close to a return to former club Fluminense in Brazil. After Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, the 38-year-old defender told ESPN: “I have a contract here, right? It’s strange, because several things have come out [in the media] and fans become very passionate.”
Silva added: “It’s been only two months since I renewed with Chelsea, if I’m not mistaken, and I’ve always fulfilled my contracts. I only won’t stay here if Chelsea decide they don’t want me for next season, or if the new coach arrives and doesn’t want me to stay. I intend to fulfil the contract that I signed until next year and then, next year, we’ll see what happens.”
Thiago Silva is staying at Chelsea amid talk of a return to Brazil ( Image: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Boehly regrets Tuchel sacking
It’s being suggested around Stamford Bridge that Todd Boehly regrets taking the decision to sack Thomas Tuchel last September. According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea insiders reckon that the Blues co-owner no longer believes that axing German boss Tuchel was the right call, having chosen to bring in Brighton manager Graham Potter as his successor.
Boehly has constantly insisted that he views Chelsea as a “long-term project,” but friction behind the scenes over the summer led to Tuchel’s exit, which plenty of fans felt was premature. Boehly’s experiment has failed so far, so the American will be desperate for Pochettino to work out.
Source: mirror.co.uk
