Argentine manager open to replacing under-fire Graham Potter at Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino eager to take over as Chelsea manager if Graham Potter is fired

Chelsea manager Graham Potter has been chastised for the team’s performances in the past couple of months, and the club may search for a replacement if the skid continues.

According to the Sun (h/t Daily Mail), former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is willing to take the offer if Chelsea open the departure door for Potter.

This comes in the wake of the former Brighton & Albion manager, who has overseen a string of dismal performances, and a long list of ailments. On Thursday night, Potter will face another strong opponent, and the outcome might determine his future at Chelsea.

With six defeats in his previous nine games in all competitions, the onus is on the 47-year-old to turn things around, and if he fails, Chelsea may look for a new manager.

And the former PSG manager would be happy to take up the role, given he has been out of a job since his dismissal from the Ligue 1 side. The Argentine has shown at Spurs that he has what it takes to build a team from the ground up – but he never really seemed to get them across the line of winning trophies.

Chelsea must stick with Potter and have patience with him for the time being, since they should not fire him as abruptly as they did with Thomas Tuchel. Injuries have played a significant role in the defeats, and another swift firing would cause havoc as players take time to adapt to the new manager’s systems.

However, if Argentina’s manager takes charge, numerous difficulties will require to be handled. On the plus side, Pochettino is experienced with the Premier League, having previously coached Tottenham from 2014 to 2019 and leading them to the Champions League final in the 2018/19 season.

He joined PSG in 2021 but was fired the next season. Many would argue that he failed to cement his discipline at PSG because the club had many big personalities and it takes a while to stabilise such big characters.

Hopefully, that same problem doesn’t arise here if he joins the Blues. There are, after all, no ‘larger than life’ personalities per se at this club.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea will make a decision on the future of David Datro Fofana in the second half of January
• Pep Guardiola urges Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to give Graham Potter time
• Chelsea target Wilfried Zaha could only leave Crystal Palace in the summer

Hopefully, we don’t have to get to a point where we are already under new management just months after letting Tuchel go. For the time being, Boehly should preserve his trust in Potter and then make an assessment after at least one full season.