Chelsea’s search for a new permanent manager appears to be close to reaching a conclusion.
Following the sacking of Graham Potter earlier this month, the Blues installed Frank Lampard on an interim basis. The idea behind his return was to quickly instil some positivity and hope for a short-term uplift in results.
That plan hasn’t materialised however, with Lampard losing all four of his matches in charge so far. But help could soon be on the way in the form of Mauricio Pochettino.
Along with the process of hiring a new manager, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is also attempting to negotiate a package which will ensure Mason Mount remains at the club. Here are the latest Chelsea headlines from Mirror Football.
Boehly gets desperate
Chelsea are considering handing Mason Mount a one-year deal in order to stave off interest from the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.
Premier League rivals are circling around the Cobham graduate, who will be out of contract at the end of next season. Boehly had hoped to tie Mount down to the kind of long-term deal which has become the custom of the new regime.
Mount is understood to have rejected a seven-year offer, but reports now claim a significantly shorter contract is now on the table. It is understood that Chelsea have placed a £70m valuation on the England star’s head, but a new contract would strengthen their negotiating and even further.
Jurgen Klopp is hoping to snap up Mount should the impasse continue and has hopes of him becoming a key part of his Liverpool rebuild.
Gavi has his say on Barca future
With Mount’s future uncertain, Barcelona wonderkid Gavi has been touted as a potential replacement. The 18-year-old signed a new lucrative deal earlier this season, but LaLiga have refused to ratify the agreement due to Barcelona’s ongoing financial issues.
That opened up the possibility of the La Masia graduate being available on a free at the end of the season. Chelsea have been heavily linked, but reports in Spain suggest he wants to go nowhere.
Sport claim he has held private talks with manager Xavi where he made it abundantly clear he wants to stay at the Camp Nou for years to come. Xavi meanwhile has highlighted the youngster’s importance to the team and that moving wouldn’t be beneficial at this point of his fledgling career.
Poch getting closer
Pochettino is now the frontrunner for the vacant head coach’s job at Chelsea and there is growing confidence a deal will be completed. The ex-Tottenham boss has held several rounds of talks and appears open to returning to the capital, three-and-a-half years after being sacked by Spurs.
The Argentine has been linked with a return to his former club, but they will need to act quickly as Chelsea hope to get negotiations wrapped up quickly. Pochettino’s biggest rival for the job, Julian Nagelsmann, has already pulled out of the running, leaving the path clear for his appointment.
The major obstacle remains the lure of returning to North London rather than going west, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has still made no contact with the man who guided them to the Champions League final in 2019.
