Author – Amrit Santlani
Chelsea are ready to unveil former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino as their permanent manager after negotiations with Julian Nagelsmann failed to progress.
Pochettino is in advanced talks with the Premier League giants after a breakthrough in negotiations on Monday, a meeting between the two parties took place in Spain and all that remains is the official signing of the contract, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.
For the inexperienced, Pochettino was on the market after being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain, with whom he won the Ligue 1 title, the French Cup and the French Super Cup, but failed to lead the Parisians to the long-awaited UEFA Champions League title, which led to his departure.
Since Todd Boehly took over at Chelsea, the Londoners have gone through tumultuous times on and off the pitch, with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter being sacked and the club currently 11th in the Premier League standings.
However, there is something good for the fans, their search for a permanent manager looks set to be concluded with Pochettino eager to take over the rebuilding project, replacing interim manager Frank Lampard, who didn’t win a single game after Potter’s departure.
It remains to be seen whether the former Spurs coach will hand over the reins immediately or at the end of the season. Chelsea had previously been in talks with Nagelsmann and also Luis Enrique, but neither option worked out, before a breakthrough in negotiations with Pochettino, who initially turned down the Blues’ approach, before agreeing to take over the club.
The Argentine had a fruitful spell at Spurs in 2014 and after leading them to the Champions League final, which they lost to Liverpool, Pochettino was sacked after a series of mixed results in 2019.
He was subsequently at PSG from 2021 to 2022 and has already coached Espanyol and Southampton with great success.