Newcastle United and England defender Kieran Trippier has offered a glimpse of what Chelsea could expect from Mauricio Pochettino if he is appointed as their next head coach.
Pochettino is the favourite to take over from Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge ahead of next season after weeks of talks with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. A deal to bring the Argentine to SW6 isn't said to be close to completion, football.london understands.
The former Tottenham boss will have a job on his hands if he is selected to be Todd Boehly's fifth manager of his reign in England. Chelsea have embarked on one of their worst Premier League finishes after a disastrous campaign, with them looking likely to finish in the Premier League's bottom 10.
READ MORE: Chelsea set for summer exodus as defenders' transfer fates under Mauricio Pochettino revealed
One key task the next permanent head coach will have to tackle is managing the big squad inherited at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea currently have 33 first team players at their disposal, though that number is expected to drastically decrease over the summer.
At Spurs, Pochettino worked wonders with a smaller squad, leading them to two Premier League league title races and the 2019 Champions League final. And one player who has witnessed his man-management first-hand is Tripper.
The right-back was a key clog in Pochettino's team at Tottenham, with him making 114 appearances before moving to Atletico Madrid. Now at Newcastle, Tripper has applauded the former midfielder's capability in a recent episode on the High Performance Podcast.
"It's funny. It's like he knew everything about you," he said. "It's like he had cameras everywhere. He knew if you didn't sleep well, if you were in a bad mood, he was a good man-manager, he knew when to speak to you and when not to speak to you, when to pull you in, when not to. He was like a magician at times."
A magician is exactly the sort of profile Chelsea will need. Constant failures in the decision-making at the club, this one has to be the correct one.
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