Chelsea are sticking with Mauricio Pochettino who they appointed in the summer, a few weeks to the start of the 2023/24 season.
The Argentine had managed Southampton and then Tottenham Hotspur in England before going to Paris Saint-Germain in France. He has managed big names like Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Sadio Mané, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.
It was only at PSG that he won silverware thanks to the calibre of the club. However, his management of these players showed that he could put a team together. Chelsea saw this and chose him for their new project which involved bringing together the world’s most promising talents for a long term winning squad.
The plan has not worked out, despite the billions spent in squad building. Chelsea still look like the team they were in 2022/23, which many believed to be an anomaly.
Their latest mishap was away at Newcastle United, who thrashed them 4 – 1 to further compound their woes. Many have since called for something to be done, including sacking Pochettino if it will change the tides. For these sets of people, what they believed to be an anomaly is fast becoming the norm and the title-challenger mentality in Chelsea has been lost.
The Todd Boehly-led administration, however, are sticking to their guns with the 51-year-old. This is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who was one of the first to break the news of Pochettino’s signing-on as Chelsea’s manager for the foreseeable future.
Speaking on his YouTube channel where he talks about the transfer dealings of clubs across Europe, Romano said that the club are solidly behind Pochettino and will give him time to bring their team of youngsters together as a unit.
“The feedback is still the same on Chelsea’s side, and they trust Mauricio Pochettino,” the Italian journalist said. “They believe he is the right man for this project.”
“It’s a young team, and they need time. His job is not at risk at this point.”
Pochettino’s job is about to get harder as the club have reportedly reached an agreement for young midfielder Gabriel Moscardo, who has been referred to as the “Brazilian Declan Rice”.
The 18-year-old is set to cost Chelsea €26 million and will join an incredible lineup of young midfield talent that includes 2022 FIFA World Cup winner and young player of the tournament Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos, Alex Matos, Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher.
Pochettino has his job cut out for him with this roster. It remains to be seen if the Chelsea fan base will extend the same grace to him as the club’s hierarchy.
