Chelsea agree deal to appoint Pochettino as coach: BBC

LONDON: Former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino has agreed a deal with Chelsea to take over the team’s training from next season, according to the BBC.

Pochettino will join the club this summer, while Frank Lampard will remain as interim coach until the end of the season, the BBC reported. 

The 51-year-old Argentine has not yet officially signed a contract with the London club, but the agreement should be formalized within days, according to other media reports.

The deal means Pochettino will return to the Premier League four years after he was sacked by Tottenham. He will be the sixth permanent coach of Chelsea in five years.

Pochettino has not managed any team since his departure from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

The Argentine managed Tottenham for five years from 2014 and led the team to the 2019 Champions League final when it lost to Liverpool.

“Pochettino would be a great appointment for Chelsea. If I was Pochettino I would also have several pressing questions about what Chelsea’s vision is and taking it with a sense of trepidation,” said New York Times journalist Rory Smith, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s “The Monday Night Club.”

He added: “I would ask (co-owner) Todd Boehly what he was thinking by signing all these players and what was his plan. Depending on his answer, I’d have a vague idea if I was being set up for success or not.

“Pochettino makes perfect sense and I think he is unfairly remembered for not winning anything at Spurs — that completely misses the point of what he did there.

“He’s the strongest candidate and he’s what Chelsea need — playing progressive football and developing young players.”