Report: Chelsea reach verbal agreement with 51-year-old manager to become new head coach

Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement with Mauricio Pochettino

Following the verbal agreement struck between the two sides, Chelsea are expected to name 51-year-old Argentine tactician Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager for the upcoming season.

Under Todd Boehly’s ownership, (h/t Evening Standard) the former Tottenham Hotspur manager will serve as the second permanent manager. After lengthy negotiations with Pochettino, both parties were finally able to come to an agreement after talks with Chelsea and Julian Nagelsmann broke down earlier.

Another potential candidate, Luis Enrique, travelled to London for the meetings but was unable to win over Chelsea’s board.

And now, two and a half years after being fired by Spurs, the former Paris Saint-Germain coach will return to the Premier League. However, during the negotiations, there were worries that he might be hesitant to join a significant rival.

The Blues are now led by interim manager Frank Lampard, who will depart the organisation at the end of the current campaign in order to facilitate a smooth transition.

With eight Premier League games played and only one victory under Lampard, Chelsea is now in 11th place with three more games to go.

Is Pochettino the right man to lead Chelsea?

Chelsea have agreed terms with Mauricio Pochettino to become their next coach. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Chelsea have agreed terms with Mauricio Pochettino to become their next coach. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

It will be the beginning of a new era under Pochettino, and the 51-year-old will have a very difficult task. The Argentine manager will need to address the squad’s imbalance and the players who are questioning their career choices because the team is struggling to win games.

He will undoubtedly require the support of the fans since it will take time for Chelsea to get back to their competitiveness under him. He helped young players develop into talented players at Southampton and saved Espanyol from relegation danger in La Liga.

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Ambitions and expectations will be high at Chelsea, and we hope he is the right man to lead the west Londoners to success. He seems like a safe appointment given his experience and pedigree. Poch is also a more experienced manager since his spell at PSG.

Everything points at this appointment being a smart one by Chelsea. It now depends on how the squad shapes up for next season, and we can retain our best players, sell the ones we don’t need, and sign quality up front and in defence.