Chelsea will have their work cut out to make Mauricio Pochettino their new manager - if the Argentine's comments on managing one of Tottenham's rivals are anything to go by.
Pochettino remains a popular figure in N17 after leading Spurs for five-and-a-half years between 2014 and 2019, guiding them to two finals and a second-place finish in the Premier League. He joined Paris Saint-Germain after he was sacked by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and won two major honours before leaving the French giants after 18 months this summer.
The 50-year-old remains a free agent and is an attractive prospect given his track record and preference to play a pleasing brand of football. Therefore, it was no surprise to see Pochettino named on Chelsea's managerial shortlist to replace Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Wednesday morning.
However, in a blow for the Stamford Bridge club, the former Argentina international previously ruled out managing another of Tottenham's bitter rivals, namely Arsenal. Pochettino was speaking shortly after he was dismissed by Spurs in November 2019, when he emerged as a surprise option to replace Unai Emery in the Gunners hot seat.
The Spurs favourite did not mince his words as he shot down this speculation, saying: "I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol. I grew up in Newell's Old Boys and will never manage Rosario Central. That is my decision because I prefer to work on my farm in Argentina than in some places.
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"But my commitment is massive in this club. I am working like I am going to be here forever. But in the end, it is like the players, you never know what is going to happen in football. It is a lot of rumours about this, about that."
As Pochettino stated, he has strong ties to numerous clubs which prevent him from taking certain jobs. As a player, he came through the academy ranks at Argentine giants Newell's Old Boys before making 153 appearances for his boyhood club, winning the Primera Division. This allegiance means he would never consider managing their local rivals, Rosario Central.
Similarly, Pochettino is precluded from taking charge of Barcelona due to his ties to their city rivals Espanyol, whom he represented as a player across two spells and later managed. The upshot of Pochettino's loyalty to the clubs he has a strong bond with is that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly may have no chance of luring him to West London. Fortunately, for the Blues, it appears their priority target is Brighton boss Graham Potter, who has travelled for talks about making the switch to Stamford Bridge.
