Gary Lineker has poked fun at Mauricio Pochettino following his much-anticipated first interview as Chelsea manager.
Former Tottenham boss Pochettino was announced as Chelsea manager back in May, but his first day at the club only came on Monday. The 51-year-old has a big job on his hands, tasked with turning around a team who finished 12th in the Premier League last season.
But speaking to the media for the first time as Chelsea head coach, Pochettino insisted he is the right man to return the Blues to their former glories. He emphasised his excitement with the appointment, which comes a year after he was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain.
Yet it wasn’t anything Pochettino said which caught Lineker’s eye. Instead it was a bracelet on the Argentine’s right wrist, which gave the appearance he was being held against his will by his new employers. “Why is he handcuffed?” Lineker tweeted.
After working for Southampton, Pochettino made his name at Tottenham, taking the north London side to the Champions League final during five years at the helm. His association with Spurs made some question his decision to succeed Graham Potter at Chelsea, but Pochettino insisted he is fully committed to the new job.
“It was easy for us to take the decision to move here,” he said. “We’re really excited. We’re so happy that we can start here.
“It’s exciting for us and of course what we want is to give and bring the happiness again to this great football club by working hard and playing in the way fans can enjoy the football.
“The history of Chelsea is to win but it’s important also the way we bring those victories," he added. “It’s a culture of winning. The last 10, 12, 15 years, Chelsea has been the greatest team in England. That we know very well. I know very well the Premier League and the culture of Chelsea.
“The fans are excited to be back on the road of trying to win. For us it’s exciting to work with a very young team. It’s a different approach to the past, of course, but we all need to understand that we need to work very hard, in a very good atmosphere on the training ground, to build the success for the team in the next few years.”
Pochettino will work with a very different group of players to the one left behind by the previous regime, with Chelsea currently embarking on a reshaping of their bloated squad. Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kai Havertz, Kalidou Koulibaly and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all been sold and more are scheduled to follow suit.
Mason Mount is close to joining Manchester United, while Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Romelu Lukaku are likely to head for the exit too. Christopher Nkunku has arrived in a £52million move from RB Leipzig and further additions are expected.
