Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea confirm Mauricio Pochettino as next manager and reveal three factors that made him ‘exceptional’ choice

Mauricio Pochettino

Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, handing him a contract until 2025 with the option of a further year. 

Pochettino – who will officially start his new role on July 1 – takes the reins from Frank Lampard, who was seeing out the season as caretaker manager after the sacking of Graham Potter.

Potter himself hadn’t even lasted a full season in the job, having taken over from Thomas Tuchel towards the start of a turbulent 2022-23 season that culminated in a 12th-place finish – which was their lowest placing since 1993-94.

Now, Chelsea have turned to Pochettino as the man to bring some much-needed stability, giving him his third job in the Premier League after previous spells with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Argentine tactician spent the 2022-23 season away from the touchline after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the Ligue 1 title, but is now ready to get back to work.

READ MOREPochettino willing to hand Chelsea outcast lifeline as summer rebuild starts to take shape

In a statement on the club’s official website, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley – who were tasked with conducting the process of finding Potter’s permanent replacement – said: “Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward.

“He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate.”

Chelsea owners ‘delighted’ with Pochettino choice

The club’s ownership group, headed by Todd Boehly, added in their own statement: “The sporting team conducted a diligent and thoughtful process that the Board is proud of.

“We are delighted that Mauricio will be joining Chelsea. Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board.”

The 51-year-old’s backroom staff will consist of Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino.

Chelsea will not have any European football on offer during Pochettino’s first season in charge, so their full focus will be on their domestic duties.

First of all, an important transfer window awaits, in which one of their main tasks will be to reduce their bloated squad size while also identifying areas they still need to upgrade.

Looking for a new first-choice goalkeeper and centre-forward will be among their priorities, while they might need to react to some potential departures from their midfield by bringing in replacements.

To that end, there has been increasing speculation that Manuel Ugarte could become Pochettino’s first signing if Chelsea activate the release clause in his contract with Sporting CP.

All will become clear in time, with Pochettino yet to officially speak about his new appointment at the time of Monday afternoon’s announcement.