Why do you feel this is the right time to return to management?
Well I was one year waiting. First of all, thank you for your welcome. I hope you will be nice with me in this press conference. It is not compulsory and I can walk away. I hope we have nice people in the first press conference! No, it is nice to be here. Thank you for all coming. I think it is a great opportunity for me to be back in the Premier League which, for me, is the best league in the world. I think Chelsea convinced me to be here. Of course, Chelsea is a great team. You know very well that in the last 10, 12, 15 years that Chelsea’s men and women have had the greatest history and won many, many trophies. It is a great team and I am very happy to be here. I am very proud of my past, and I don’t want to talk in a different way but I need to look forward and concentrate on what people expect from me in this football club. I hope to build a very special relationship with everyone.
Of course, I need to be bright and clever in the way that we are going to settle everything for the next few weeks to compete and be right in our decisions, and to create a very competitive team because the Premier League is very tough. What I found from Monday is a club with very, very good people, good attitudes and I am so happy. So far, so good. I hope to keep this feeling for the rest of the season.
How close is the squad to winning?
I think we are working really hard now. I really trust in this football club, its history and I trust in Paul [Winstanley], Laurence [Stewart] and the owners that they will provide the tools to be competitive. Of course, what I need to do is coach, not only the players but the staff, to guide them to give what we expect, what our fans expect. I am not going to talk about the past. The past is the past. I only want to be focused. People at Chelsea’s training ground, Stamford Bridge and our fans need to be positive and try to really believe that all together we can create a very good job.
Lacking in leaders at Chelsea?
Look, for me, every single season. Not only the players but the staff, players and the fans have the capacity to move on quick. In football, you need to move on quick. If not, you are dead. What I found, from day one, it is true this isn’t the whole squad, but the players are very open. The attitude is amazing. Of course, we have the quality, we are going to add more quality and I am excited to be here. I don’t want to think about the past. Of course, the past wasn’t too far away but when you finish the season, you need to move on and start to think about the future. There’s no point in looking back about what went on. I am such a positive person. I always look to see the positive things.
Would you have liked to keep Mason Mount?
I think we cannot talk. I think when I talk about the future, I talk about the players that are here and those we can add to the squad. He is a Manchester United player now – for sure, he left the club but I don’t know what happened in the past. I don’t want to talk about that. I want to focus and show respect for our players who really commit to move on, try to provide a journey and provide the team and the club to win trophies and lift them. This is a club that only thinks about winning.
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Targets for the season?
My target is to win, my aim is to win. If you are in a club like Chelsea, you can’t talk about doing a nice job and to play well. Yes, of course, I can do a good job, play well and in our style and culture but, of course, to win. If you don’t win in a club like Chelsea, for sure, you are going to suffer. I don’t want to make excuses or talk about the past. It is only to win with the players that we have.
We want to start to believe from day one, we started to work from Monday and we want to be the best and competitive. For that, we have to work hard, work the players really, really hard and translate this energy to our fans who can help us win the games. That’s so important, to create that togetherness because the competition here in the Premier League is really, really tough. A lot of teams want the same as us. When we are altogether we can be close to winning again.
The owners get involved? Do you influence player sales and buys?
I think it is important to clarify the situation. When we met for the first time, we agreed at the start of July to start to work. Laurence, Paul and the owners presented the strategy plan for the squad, they asked me to start on July 1 and I agreed also. They started to work, the club, I didn’t, the club started to work and I think did a very good job. I am happy to work in this way with the plan they created, and of course, from now on July 1, I am going to be more involved. I am going to try to judge the situation and work more closely with Paul and Laurence for the best situation.
You like the plan?
The plan that they presented to me, when they were talking, there was many circumstances, different situations, things you care about, things I wasn’t informed on or didn’t know(?) because I was outside of the football club. That’s why I trust in them. I said ‘you know better than me’. But from day one, first of July, i will be more informed (or control)? I’m not saying I will take all of the decisions. I think it will be easier to take all the decisions together.
Have you had a chance to speak to Levi Colwill or Noni Madueke about their role?
We spoke yesterday with Levi and Noni. One I know, Noni, from Tottenham, in the Under-18s. Of course Levi I didn't know but I introduced myself with him. I wished them all the best tomorrow. It's true that, for me, it's difficult because it's Spain-England. I wish them all the best. We're waiting for them to be with thethe team, I think the day we will fly to America, they will join us.
First manager to inflict defeat on Pep Guardiola in the Premier League, are they unchallengeable now they've won the treble? Example of backing a manager?
I want to congratule Pep of course. What they achieved at Manchester City is unbelievable. It's amazing how a club that worked for many years with stability, giving the tools and the resources to the coach to do the job that he is doing. It is fantastic football club. Now, when I said in an interview with Chelsea TV, I said Chelsea, the last 10, 12, 15 years, similar achievements, I think it was right.
I think we need to believe also that we can create good things. It is going to be tough but we need to believe we can compete with a team like Manchester City.
Message to fans and what do you expect here?
I think what I am going to do is provide and give the people that trust in me, the owners, the sporting directors, everything that I can do. I know I need to build a relationship with the fans, they know me because of my past, but now I am fully committed with Chelsea and I know, how we are going to approach the game, the team need to translate the message to the fans and the fans need to engage with the idea and the philosophy. We need to create something and if the fans can feel that I think it is going to be easy to be in the same direction. I repeat again, we can win. We really believe that and we are altogether. I think we can be Chelsea and we can compete and try to beat this amazing team, Manchester City, Liverpool and different clubs.
How does it feel to be back in the best league in the world where your fellow Argentines are doing well. What are you looking forward to most about working with Enzo?
Of course, it's a pleasure and I feel very proud of our national team and the players that gave the third World Cup to Argentina. I am also excited and hope we can win many trophies here.
Biggest challenge you face here?
To be honest, I'm still not trying to think in challenges or the most difficult challenges. For me, it is clear, it is most important to finish the squad, to have a very balanced squad. I think the club, in the plan was to reduce the number of players. That for me was the most important, to find the riht profiles, the players we are going to add and of course, to try to create a group dynamic first in the training session and ground and try to work really well.
Sorting squad is a big challenge, do you need to ask for patience?
Look, I know in football there is no patience. In football it is difficult to wait and when you are in Chelsea, I believe it is not about asking for time, you need to deliver from day one. That is why, how we are working on the training ground is why we are not giving the players too much time to think, to spend time wasting time, it is about delivering from now to give our best. Football is about today, yesterday. You cannot talk too much long term. We cannot tell people we need six months to create because it seems not good. We need to create the belief from the beginning and I think we have players and I think we are going to have squad that can deliver in the short, and give what we expect and from day one we need to think to win. Then if we don't win, maybe if little by little we need more time to develop our idea, maybe it is possible. From the begining we need to think of the first game of the Premier League, we need to beat Liverpool.
Lots of speculation around your negotiations with the club, can you tell us what the discussions were like and if you had doubt in your mind?
I think it was really nice conversations. The first conversations were with Paul and Laurence the sporting directors. The first conversation was - I can be transparent? A little? - the first meeting was by zoom and I said 'I need to know if I need to convince you or if you need to convince me because if I need to convince give me five minutes and I will put on a nice shirt, shower, aftershave'.
I think it was a nice conversation from the beginning, they were very honest with me. They showed the plan. The good and not so good things that need to happen before the first of July and then after the first of July. I listened then, then I spoke with the owners in a really good way. I think they are clever people and football always is about being clever and learning from past experience. I feel good. I am not a coach that needs to ask for power, or to ask in my contract to have a clause that says I need to do this.
Most important I need to show to them to trust in me and the players, and the fans can trust in me, in my decision, in the way we are going to operate, in the way we are going to take decisions, we analyse and judge the situation, they need to believe. One of the challenges, is that people trust my judgement. It's not only to say we sign this coach and then I don't know whether it's right to take a decision from his advice. I need to convince them that they can trust - that is the biggest power you can have. If they can trust, it would mean a lot to me to work in the way I want. At the same time, with all the staff and the people, we need to create our own idea and philosophy because every single club is different.
Feel like a long time since you've been in Premier League. Are you a better manager now?
By far much better because experience provides you better understanding, not only the knowledge of the game, but also how you are supposed to behave on and off the pitch. For sure I am a much better coach and person after my experience outside of the Premier League.
Do you feel you have a point to prove after the way it ended at Tottenham, do you need to prove yourself again?
Always. I think this is our motivation, our challenge. Every day you have to try to prove we arrive? It is our nature. We are competitive and want to be better. For sure, yes.
When offered the job did you confer with family and friends given the situation between Tottenham and Chelsea?
Of course I have my close people that always try to see a different opinion and vision. Things happen. This time I was more focusing on the project, the future. I didn’t think too much. It was for me a really good opportunity to join a great club and come back to the Premier League.
Do you have any idea who you want to be the next captain?
First of all we need to build the squad and then I need to look at all the players before making a decision. I need to feel the players, feel the commitment, the character, the personality. One thing is we are working with them for positive and not so positive. First of all we need to close the club and the squad and then we have many players with experience and we will decide.
10 players left this summer, fresh start and a new team?
When I was outside and didn't know about Chelsea, I was hearing different opinions about the squad being too big. Always it is always a fresh start with players, I work here and who is going to come. I don't think too much on that. People come in, they go out some players. It was really big the squad last season and it is normal that the club try to reduce the number of players.
Do you expect Romelu Lukaku to be in pre-season training?
The situation, all the parts know what we think. I think in that case, he needs to come back the 12th, or 13th into the squad for the start of pre-seaosn.
Do you expect him to, have you had that conversation?
Of course. Like with all of the players, the first thing they do when they arrive is to come to my office and see me. That is what I expect if he is still a Chelsea player.
