Mauricio Pochettino, manager of Paris Saint-Germain, looks on during the Ligue 1 game against Strasbourg at Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, France, April 29, 2022. /CFP
The Premier League's Chelsea have reached an agreement with Mauricio Pochettino to hire him as the new manager of the club, according to ESPN.
The two sides haven't signed a contract yet and caretaker manager Frank Lampard will stay in the position until the end of the 2022-23 season. Chelsea are currently 11th on the standings table with 43 points. With only three games to go, they are unlikely to qualify for any European tournaments next season.
Pochettino has not managed any teams since he parted ways with the Ligue 1's Paris Saint-Germain in July 2022. Before that, he was the boss of the Premier League's Tottenham Hotspur for over five years. Leading that club to the UEFA Champions League final in 2019 is one of the biggest highlights of his managing career.
Frank Lampard, caretaker manager of Chelsea, looks on during the Premier League game against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, May 6, 2023. /CFP
Pochettino beat former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique and former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann to get the job in Chelsea. ESPN revealed that Pochettino will bring his backroom staff to Stamford Bridge, including his long-time assistant, Jesus Perez, first-team coach Miguel D'Agostino, goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez and his sports scientist son, Sebastiano.
Pochettino may begin his job by dealing with Chelsea's overstaffed first-team lineup, which now includes 31 players. More will come back after finishing their loan spells. Having become the biggest spender on the transfer market during the summer and winter windows, Chelsea were not even close to growing into a competitive team. Before they write more big cheques to sign new players, the club will need to offload some players from their roster.
Caretaker manager Lampard aside, Pochettino's predecessors this season in Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, were both given no longer than two seasons in the position. Boehly and Clearlake Capital, which bought the club in May 2022, don't seem more patient than Roman Abramovich, who owned Chelsea before they did.