(Football news) Chelsea have announced the signing of Mauricio Pochettino as new head coach on a two year deal with the option to extend a further year. The 51 year old Argentine will officially take over from July 1st and will return to the Premier League following previous spells at Tottenham and Southampton. Pochettino will replace Graham Potter as permanent manager, who was dismissed at the beginning of April after just seven months at the helm.
Pochettino’s coaching staff at Stamford Bridge will include Jesus Perez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino. Chelsea’s co-directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley 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.”
Owners Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, Jose E. Feliciano, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss added: “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.” According to reports, the Argentine was the unanimous first choice of the board and the club and Pochettino was “fully on board” with the structure of the club.
Chelsea have had their worst season in the Premier League era, finishing 12th despite spending £600m, ending up in the bottom half for the first time in 27 years. The Blues will not play in any European competition next season, which could be a blessing in disguise as it’ll give them an opportunity to focus on the league. Pochettino has been out of work since being sacked by Paris Saint-German last summer after 18 months in charge, having guided the team to the Ligue 1 title in 2022 and the French Cup.
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