New major challenge for Mauricio Pochettino. The former Tottenham and PSG coach has reached an agreement with Chelsea to take charge of the Blues next season, several English media claim on Sunday. “He will join the club this summer, with Frank Lampard remaining as caretaker coach until the end of the season,” says the BBC.
The contract binding him to the club of the English capital is not yet signed but the formalization of his arrival should take place in the coming days, believe other media, as The Athletic.
Bringing order…
Currently 11th in the Premier League, with 43 points in 35 games, the Londoners have had a nightmarish first season under their new American owners. Businessman Todd Boehly and the Clearlake investment fund invested more than 600 million euros in the transfer market last summer and this winter, but this recruitment, mainly focused on young and strong players potential, did not shine by its consistency.
Boehly had also decided to oust Thomas Tuchel after just seven games this season, when the club was 6th in the standings, to bring in Graham Potter from Brighton, a coach also considered promising but without experience in a club the size of Chelsea. Hired for a long-term project, Potter was also fired in early April.
PL top 4 specialist
Also a former Southampton coach, Pochettino had not been active since his replacement at PSG by Christophe Galtier last summer. He had left an excellent memory during his time at Tottenham, Chelsea’s great rival.
Four times in five seasons, Spurs had finished in the top four in the league under his command, while they had arrived there only twice in the 24 seasons preceding his arrival. He will have to manage to breathe new spirit into an unbalanced and overloaded workforce, in a season where there will not even be European competition to give everyone playing time.