Premier League: Chelsea appoint Mauricio Pochettino
Chelsea officially have a new manager.
They have confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino will become their head coach from the beginning of the 2023/24 season.
The Argentinian will begin his new role on 1 July 2023 on a two-year contract, with the option of an additional year.
Their recent Interim boss Frank Lampard took Chelsea to 12th in the Premier League - their lowest finish since the 1995/1996 season. The blues finished the Premier League with a 1-1 draw against 4th placed Newcastle United.
In a statement on the Chelsea website, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, said: "Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward. "
You can read more from the Chelsea website here: Mauricio Pochettino to become Chelsea head coach | News | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club (chelseafc.com)
Let's explore what some Chelsea fans are saying
Frank is a Chelsea Season Ticket holder. He told us "I think appointing Poch could be a masterstroke, provided that he gets the control and influence he would need to be a success.
Patrick spoke about how Chelsea could progress and potentially thrive next season: "We need to trim first team squad to no more than 24 players. He also needs to get buy-in from players for any new or modified system of play and become proficient in it."
Lauren Waterman lives in Manchester and also gave some thoughts as to how they can improve next season: We need to get rid of the players who simply aren't up to scratch. The board also needs a technical director and ensure everyone knows their roles, responsibilities and boundaries."
Chelsea Football Club is pleased to announce Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s new head coach!
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 29, 2023
One Chelsea fan replied to the above tweet: "I believe he will lead us to the title over the next two years."
In response to the below Facebook post, Alistair Stewart said: "Welcome Mauricio. He needs to be allowed to clear that dressing room of the players that don't want to be there. Then we will have a foundation to build towards getting into the Champions League places next season. They have shown at Manchester United what you can achieve with a decent manager and a clear plan."
Uwota N Linus added: "This will be a great beginning as long as the coach focuses on right decision-making over everything else."
Why is the best man for the job?
It's clear that at Chelsea, there is an abundance of talent, but the group of players appear to be low on confidence and without any clear direction. You could argue that are primed for Pochettino's energy.
There is also enough versatility to adapt different tactical approaches. His Spurs team did exceptionally well given they spent very little on new recruits. The Argentinian has also dealt with huge stars at PSG like Neymar and Mbappe so the stars at Chelsea will be easy to deal with.
