51-year-old manager favourite for Chelsea job after Julian Nagelsmann drops out of race

Mauricio Pochettino favourite to become Chelsea manager as Julian Nagelsmann drops out

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as the favourite to become Chelsea’s next manager, with Julian Nagelsmann dropping out of the race.

This is according to the Telegraph (Subscription Required), who claim that the Blues have held multiple rounds of talks with the Argentine. He is seen as a ‘strong candidate’ and everything points towards Poch becoming Chelsea’s new head coach.

The Blues have been on the hunt for a new manager since sacking Graham Potter on April 2. Bruno Saltor and then Frank Lampard have since taken charge of the subsequent five games after Potter’s sacking, with Chelsea winning none of them.

Lampard has himself overseen four consecutive losses, including the two 2-0 defeats against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. Had the Englishman done well during this time, Todd Boehly and co. could have had more time to look for a new boss.

Chelsea to get in Pochettino?

The club could have taken a more patient approach towards finding a new boss or who knows, even stuck with Lampard for longer. But recent losses and the manner in which Chelsea have been overpowered by teams such as Brighton have incensed fans.

It seems we are now quickly going to see a new boss come in and take charge of the club. Pochettino showed at Spurs that he can build a team from the ground up.

At Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the 51-year-old managed a dressing room full of superstars. He even won the Ligue 1 title with them last season but it wasn’t enough to save him from the sack the following summer.

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Chelsea could be the ideal job for him. It will be a project where he can mould a team of youngsters into world-beaters, while the Blues can have a manager who has an idea about how the Premier League functions and more importantly, has experience of managing a ‘big six’ club.