Mauricio Pochettino signs three-year deal to become new Chelsea manager
Mauricio Pochettino, the former manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, has reportedly accepted the position of Chelsea manager.
It is believed that he has signed a contract for a duration of three years. The Argentine coach is anticipated to assume the managerial role at Stamford Bridge in the upcoming week, taking over from the current interim manager, Frank Lampard.
Mauricio Pochettino, who is 51 years old, has been without a job since his departure from Paris Saint-Germain at the conclusion of the previous season. Reports suggest that he reached a verbal agreement last month to assume the managerial role at Chelsea.
He then traveled from Spain to London and officially signed a contract on Sunday. This news comes as Chelsea’s season has been extremely disappointing, with the club finishing in the lower half of the table, despite significant spending on players.
Since the club was acquired by new owner Todd Boehly and his consortium for £4.25 billion from Roman Abramovich in May of the previous year, the club has invested over £600 million in player transfers.
Chelsea faced early exits in both the League Cup and the FA Cup this season. In the League Cup, they were eliminated in the third round following a defeat to Manchester City. Similarly, in the FA Cup, they suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the same round.
After Thomas Tuchel, who led Chelsea to a Champions League victory in 2021, was dismissed by the board in September, Graham Potter, the manager of Brighton, was appointed as his replacement.
However, Potter’s tenure was short-lived, lasting only seven months and 31 games. He was sacked on April 3, just before Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-final match against Real Madrid, which they ultimately lost 4-0 on aggregate to the Spanish team.
Following Potter’s departure, Bruno Saltor took charge of the team for a single game before Frank Lampard was appointed as the interim manager on April 6. Lampard, a former Chelsea midfielder, struggled initially, losing his first six games in charge. However, he finally achieved a victory against Bournemouth on May 6 during his interim spell as the manager.
Asked about Chelsea’s future under a new manager after their 4-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last week, Lampard said: “I wish the new manager well. It’s his problem, I guess.”
With Mauricio Pochettino’s previous five-season stint at Tottenham, during which he led them to the 2019 Champions League final, he will be eager to have sufficient time with the Chelsea squad during the summer. This time will allow him to assess the players and decide which ones he intends to retain.
As part of their pre-season preparations, Chelsea has scheduled five matches in the United States in July and August. These fixtures include games against Wrexham, Brighton, Newcastle United, Fulham, and Borussia Dortmund, the runners-up in the Bundesliga.
Mauricio Pochettino signs three-year deal to become new Chelsea manager
