Reports: Mauricio Pochettino returning to London as next Chelsea manager
Mauricio Pochettino's time in the wilderness looks set to end.
After a year away from soccer, the former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager has agreed to take over at Chelsea, per multiple reports. There, he would get the chance to realize a burning ambition to conquer the English Premier League and, with that, confirm his status as one of the sport's elite coaches.
Pochettino left PSG last summer, having finally won a major trophy as the star-studded squad finished first in the French Ligue 1.
Previously, Pochettino had lifted Southampton from the lower end of the Premier League then turned Tottenham into a title contender in the league and guided Spurs to the Champions League title game in 2019, where Tottenham lost to English rival Liverpool.
Pochettino has managed several world-renowned soccer stars including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar at PSG and Harry Kane at Tottenham. All four players are currently captains of their respective national teams — Argentina, France, Brazil and England — which are considered among the best in men's soccer. He is also one of only two coaches in PSG history to go beyond the quarterfinals of the Champions League, reaching the semis in 2021 before the addition of Messi that summer.
Pochettino is inheriting a Chelsea squad that has had around $630 million worth of new signings over the past two transfer windows but has struggled mightily on the pitch despite the massive influx of talent. American owner Todd Boehly has been criticized for his club's transfer strategy despite making it clear in his words and actions that he is committed to dumping resources towards bringing success to Stamford Bridge.
Several big-name Chelsea players are expected to leave the crowded team this summer, including United States Men's National Team star Christian Pulisic. Among those expected to stay at Chelsea include Pochettino's Argentina countryman Enzo Fernández. The 22-year-old midfielder joined Chelsea from Benfica on a record £106.8 million transfer in January after winning the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup on a Messi-led Argentina squad in December and being named best young player of the tournament.
Chelsea, considered one of the powerhouse "Big 6" clubs in the Premier League, is currently 11th in the table and will be without European soccer next season. It has been a nightmarish season for fans of the London club, which is accustomed to winning the sport's biggest prizes, having lifted the Champions League as recently as 2021.
The Boehly-led ownership group sacked Thomas Tuchel, who led Chelsea to that Champions League title, near the beginning of the 2022 season and hired Graham Potter as his replacement. Potter only lasted seven months amid a run of poor results before he himself was sacked in April. Frank Lampard, a Chelsea legend as a player and a former full-time manager of the club, has been serving as interim manager and will reportedly continue to do so through the end of the season before Pochettino takes over.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
