Chelsea confirm Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment as head coach

Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their head coach, with the former Tottenham manager signing a two-year contract that features a club option of a further year.

Pochettino takes over after the club finished 12th in the Premier League after a chaotic season during which Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard had spells in charge. Chelsea said he would official start on 1 July.

Pochettino emerged as the favoured choice after Chelsea conducted an exhaustive process during which they held talks with the former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann and the former Spain manager Luis Enrique. The Argentinian, whose former clubs also include Southampton and Paris Saint-Germain, has a strong track record of working with young players and his man-management skills are impressive.

The 51-year-old was the only manager with whom Chelsea held serious offer conversations and it is understood he was content with the existing structure, meaning he will work closely with the sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

“Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward,” Winstanley and Stewart said. “He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate.”

Pochettino will inherit an unhappy, bloated squad and Chelsea will need to sell players. They will prioritise signing a central midfielder and are chasing Sporting Lisbon’s Manuel Ugarte, who is a target for Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea confirmed that Pochettino’s backroom staff would include