Mauricio Pochettino seems to be edging closer to becoming the next permanent manager of Chelsea. The former Tottenham boss has now emerged as the frontrunner to take over at Stamford Bridge after Julian Nagelsmann pulled out of the running.
The Argentine has been unemployed since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last summer, despite guiding the French giants to the Ligue 1 title the season before. His name has been linked with the vacancy since Graham Potter was sacked on April 2, with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart conducting a thorough process.
football.london understands that the club have held positive talks with Pochettino regarding taking over from Potter. The Blues hierarchy are huge admirers of the 51-year-old and his qualities.
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And the possible appointment of the ex-Spurs boss has reportedly excited the Chelsea squad. According to The Telegraph, the players are said to be positive about his potential arrival in the summer.
There is acknowledgement of his coaching skills, man-management and motivation, with the former Argentina international turning Tottenham into a domestic and European powerhouse with little spending power.
After arriving from Southampton, Pochettino took the north Londoners to four successive seasons in the Champions League - the first time in history - leading them to two title races and a Champions League final. Although there was no silverware, 'Poch' orchestrated a squad of players with only £289.1million spent, compared to Chelsea's £559.6million in the same time period.
Pochettino's first job, should he be appointed, would be contributing to the trimming of his squad. Chelsea have over 30 first team players and it has been reported that at least eight will be sold in the summer to balance the books and make the next manager's job easier.
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