After a year that proved to be a major false start under the ownership of Todd Boehly, the Chelsea restart officially has begun with the hiring of former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Over the last season, Chelsea burned through two high-profile managers in Thomas Tuchel, who led the side to a Champions League title in his first season, and Graham Potter. Now, the Pochettino era begins under plenty of pressure after Chelsea finished outside of the top 10 in the Premier League for the first time since 1995-96.
“The sporting team conducted a diligent and thoughtful process that the Board is proud of. We are delighted that Mauricio will be joining Chelsea,” Boehly’s ownership group released in a statement. “Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board.”
The Argentine manager was previously the manager of PSG, where he won the Ligue 1 title in 2021-22 and French Cup in ’20-’21 before taking the last year off. He arrives with plenty of Premier League experience after leading Spurs for more than five years, culminating in a Champions League final appearance in ’18-’19.
“Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward,” Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, said in a statement. “He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate.”
Chelsea’s 12th-placed finish and quarterfinal Champions League exit was just a sample of the club’s myriad problems. Under Boehly’s leadership, Chelsea spent hundreds of millions in the transfer market over the last year, only to see its bloated squad of all-stars flounder.
Following the tenure of Frank Lampard, who won only one of his 11 games as interim manager, Pochettino joins on a two-year contract and will begin his role on July 1.
