Former PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino appointed as Chelsea’s new Head coach

Mauricio Pochettino was appointed by Chelsea as their new manager on Monday, accepting the difficult challenge of turning around the struggling Premier League team. Four years after being fired by Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspurs, Pochettino has signed a two-year deal with an additional year’s option and will rejoin the Premier League. Since being fired by Paris Saint-Germain in July 2022, the 51-year-old had remained jobless.

“Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board,” Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement.

Frank Lampard, a former England player who returned to Chelsea as interim manager for the remainder of the season, is replaced by Pochettino, who takes over in his new position on July 1. In a miserable season that saw Thomas Tuchel fired in September and Graham Potter fired in April after less than seven months in charge, Lampard was Chelsea’s third manager.

Chelsea to play five friendlies in the United States

After Chelsea spoke with Julian Nagelsmann, who was fired by Bayern Munich in March, and former Spain manager Luis Enrique, Pochettino became the front-runner. Pochettino verbally agreed to become Chelsea’s manager in April, but the decision was deferred until the end of the current campaign. Pochettino travelled to England to finalise the contract after the Blues drew with Newcastle on Sunday to end their dismal Premier League season.

“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,” Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors was quoted as saying.

Chelsea will play five friendlies in the United States this summer, beginning on July 19 with Wrexham in North Carolina and concluding on August 2 with Borussia Dortmund in Chicago, with the likes of Pochettino’s high-press, and high-energy approach. Chelsea will be hoping that Pochettino has both Potter’s warmth and Tuchel’s credentials. If that occurs, the future of Stamford Bridge is promising.