Mauricio Pochettino: Chelsea officially appoint ex-Tottenham manager as new manager

Chelsea have appointed former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager.

The 51-year-old Argentine will begin his new role on 1 July 2023 on a two-year deal, with an option for a further year.
Interim boss Frank Lampard led Chelsea to 12th place in the Premier League, their fewest in over 25 years.

“Mauricio is a world-class manager with an excellent track record. We are looking forward to having him on board,” said the club. Chelsea say Pochettino was the first choice and only manager brought to the club for talks.

He will work with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart.
“Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership ability and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward,” Winstanley and Stewart said in a statement.

“He is a winning coach, having worked at the highest level, in multiple leagues and languages. His philosophy, tactical approach and commitment to development made him an exceptional candidate.”

Chelsea owners cannot afford Pochettino to go bust

‘Pochettino’s appointment could be a defining moment in a new era’

Pochettino is Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter earlier this season, leaving Lampard temporarily in charge. He is also the fourth boss under new owner Todd Boehly, having taken over from Stamford Bridge last July.

Since Boehly took over, Chelsea have spent more than £550m on players with a Premier League record £288m in January, more than all clubs in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 set Together.

However, incoming players such as World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez and Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk failed to improve on Chelsea’s poor season, as the Blues lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
They were also eliminated in the third round of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

From London rival to new head coach

Pochettino has been linked with a return to Tottenham following the split from Antonio Conte in March, but has instead joined his former club’s London rivals. After starting his managerial career at Espanyol before spending 16 months at Southampton, he managed Spurs from 2014 to 2019.

The Argentinian guided his side to a League Cup final in 2015 and a Premier League runners-up finish in 2016-17, with Spurs missing out on both victory to Chelsea and the 2019 Champions League final.

He also oversaw an infamous London derby in May 2016 in which Spurs picked up nine yellow cards to the Blues’ three, the result ending their pre-season title hopes.

Following his spell at Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino took over from Tuchel at PSG in January 2021.

The French club finished second in Ligue 1 at the end of the 2020-21 season but won the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions, the first trophies in Pochettino’s managerial career. ‘Must check Chelsea’s agenda’ – Analysis

Guillem Balague, European football expert

Joining Chelsea is not a decision Pochettino has taken lightly; He has rejected a string of potential suitors since he left Paris St-Germain in July 2022.

But none have ticked as many boxes as Chelsea, and initially rejected Boehly until offered more control.
Of course, a lot will depend on who he can bring onto the pitch, with the search for a striker clearly a key objective.

If Romelu Lukaku can stay injury-free, that could very well be an option, although he will need to drop a number of players before considering adding to the squad.

What his time at PSG has taught him is that he needs to get back to his essence, with all the passion and intensity of him, similar to the relationship he had with his players at Spurs.

Before that, he got a good look at himself and what he did wrong at the French club, what he could have done better and how he can avoid making similar mistakes at Chelsea.

He has to have the energy to shape the players, know that the players are listening to him and have the authority to make sure that happens.

He realizes that at Chelsea he has to control the agenda as much as possible, which he couldn’t do at PSG.
Above all, he needs to get the message across that this is not going to be a quick fix and that what he needs most of all is time, rather than huge sums of money.
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