Sources: Chelsea make preliminary contact with Pochettino in new manager twist
Chelsea have made contact with Mauricio Pochettino as they plot a potential managerial change, sources have told Football Insider.
Graham Potter’s position is under major threat following a series of dire results that have left the club 10th in the Premier League table and closer to the bottom three than the top four.
The official line from Chelsea is that Potter’s job is safe for now, with the Todd Boehly-led hierarchy backing him to oversee a long-term project and transform the team’s fortunes after astonishing spending in the last two transfer windows.
However, there is a growing appetite for change behind the scenes and sources have told Football Insider that Chelsea have already spoken to Pochettino about the manager’s position.
The former Tottenham boss, who is an Anglophile and has a home in London, is believed to be interested in taking over at Stamford Bridge were the job to become available.
There is also interest in him from other top clubs in England and abroad, including some in the Premier League.
Pochettino held talks with Aston Villa during their recent manager search, as first revealed by Football Insider, but pulled out of the running as he felt the club does not have the squad to implement his high-energy playing style.
The informal discussions with Chelsea have not advanced beyond the exploratory at this point, but it firmly indicates that Potter has just a few matches at most to turn things around.
This comes amid growing calls from supporters for Potter to be dismissed after the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday. His team have scored one goal in six games, have won two of their last 15 and are next in action against Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Potter, who replaced Thomas Tuchel in the Chelsea dugout last September, is under contract until 2027.
Boehly and his Clearlake Capital co-investors have spent over £600million on new recruits since they bought the club before the beginning of 2022-23.
Over half of that total figure was forked out under Potter’s watch in January, obliterating previous Premier League spending records.
In other news, it’s the end of the road for big-name Tuchel favourite at Chelsea.