Chelsea are close to appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager. Next week, he might receive a formal announcement. The composition of Pochettino’s backroom staff as well as Chelsea’s squad size and recruitment have been considered during discussions. Although there has been positive progress in recent days in the talks between the two parties, no official agreement has yet been struck. Frank Lampard, the interim manager, is anticipated to serve as the head coach for the rest of the campaign. When Thomas Tuchel departed Chelsea in September, the club had already expressed interest in Pochettino and inquired about his availability.
The 51-year-old has been unemployed since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in July 2022. Real Madrid has already contacted him twice, and he has also turned down other offers from teams in various European leagues in recent months. Pochettino, Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, and an undisclosed third manager were the only candidates left on Chelsea’s shortlist for a new manager. After speaking with the club, former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann was told he was not going to be considered. Internally, the 35-year-old, who was fired by Bayern last month, was never seen as the front-runner for the position.
As Chelsea officials were determined to thoroughly investigate each applicant before making a decision, tensions between the two sides escalated, with the German coach resenting the repeated interviews and information requests. Nagelsmann felt Chelsea’s diverse shortlist revealed a lack of clarity about the route they want to take and expressed his own misgivings about the position.
“According to [Chelsea co-owner Todd] Boehly, Chelsea has completed their spending for the following three years, with the exception of signing a center-forward,” Gary Neville said as Mauricio Pochettino edges closer to becoming the Chelsea manager. “They’ll need an additional £300 million if they hire Zinedine Zidane, Luis Enrique, or Diego Simeone since they won’t like some of the players they’ve already signed. They must select a manager who will inherit and appreciate the youthful, inexperienced roster they currently have, and I believe Mauricio Pochettino fits the bill.”
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