Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed Chelsea manager on a two-year deal.
The former Tottenham coach, who has been out of work since leaving Paris St Germain last year, will take over from interim boss Frank Lampard who oversaw his final game in charge against Newcastle on Sunday.
Argentine Pochettino, 51, will take over from Lampard on July 1.
Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League.
“Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board,” Chelsea’s owners said in a statement.
Pochettino, who favours a high-pressing and attacking style of play, garnered a reputation for fostering young talent and led Southampton to an eighth-placed finish in his first full season in England before joining Spurs in 2014.
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It brings to an end an almost two-month process to find a permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was sacked on April 2.
The PA news agency understands Pochettino had been the club’s first choice from early in the search, which was led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
He was the only candidate the club got into serious talks with, despite conversations that took place with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, ex-Spain coach Luis Enrique and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany.
The new manager, whose contract includes an option for a third season, will work closely with Winstanley and Stewart as the club looks to rebuild after its worst season in 30 years.
The London club won the Champions League in 2021, but ended this season without any silverware and stumbled towards their worst campaign since 1993-94 – when it finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle – despite the owners’ huge outlay on players.
Pochettino is the third permanent Chelsea manager since the sale in 2022 to a consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm.
At the time of Lampard’s appointment, co-controlling owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said the ex-Chelsea midfielder was brought in on an interim basis so the club could conduct a “thorough and exhaustive process” to hire a permanent manager.
Chelsea lost eight of its 11 matches under Lampard, finishing 12th in the standings and without European football for next season after its quarter-final exit from the Champions League.
-PA, Reuters
