Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have been spotted in Los Angeles as club figures prepare to meet today regarding the appointment of a new manager at Stamford Bridge. Former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is leading the race to succeed Graham Potter after former Bayern Munich manager Julian Naglesmann dropped out of the running.
There is still no agreement in place between Chelsea and Pochettino despite confidence being high that a deal can be struck between both parties, football.london understands. Ange Postecoglou and Vincent Kompany were among the candidates being considered by the Blues, but it seems Pochettino is now the favourite to take the hot seat at Chelsea.
Gary Neville believes the Blues have the 'perfect' squad for Pochettino to take charge of ahead of next season and can see the former Spurs boss taking Chelsea back into the Champions League. The Argentine wants assistant Jesus Perez and goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez with him at Chelsea if he is offered the job, along with his eldest son Sebastiano, who worked on his staff at Spurs and PSG, and Steve Hitchen, former chief scout at Tottenham.
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The Times reported on Saturday morning that Chelsea figures were set to hold a crucial meeting in LA that would see the club make a final decision on the head coach vacancy. football.london understands that the Blues held very positive talks with Pochettino and his entourage earlier this week regarding the vacant position at Stamford Bridge.
The report suggested that Pochettino could be offered the job as soon as Saturday evening following the meeting between top figures at the west London outfit. Reservations held by Boehly and other members of the Blues' hierarchy regarding Pochettino's links to Tottenham are thought to be no longer prominent meaning the Argentine is in pole position to take over at Chelsea.
Boehly and Eghbali were spotted attending a Los Angeles Lakers game on Friday evening ahead of their meeting today with other club figures to decide on a new manager. The latter was asked by a spectator if Pochettino is set to become the new Chelsea manager, to which he responded: "Maybe, maybe," whilst gesturing it is 50-50 with his hand.
It seems as though the search for a new head coach is in the final stages with an update on Chelsea's decision expected in the coming days.
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