Mauricio Pochettino will officially begin work as Chelsea manager on July 1st, with the former PSG boss having his start date determined by the terms of his departure from his former club.
As revealed by Mirror Football, the Argentine is being delayed from taking charge at Stamford Bridge. That's because of the terms of his contract with the French club, which states he is not allowed take charge of a new club until that date, the day when FIFA officially recognise international summer transfers and after his contract in Paris was due to reach its conclusion.
Otherwise, the ex-Spurs boss must forfeit payments made to him by PSG since his exit from the Parc des Princes. Nevertheless, he is already getting, unofficially at least, down to business, having held preliminary talks with co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
Pochettino is expected to also hold talks with outgoing interim manager Frank Lampard regarding the shape of his squad, with the former PSG boss having a bloated playing staff to work with when he begins pre season. Lampard has said that 'standards have dropped' at the club, with player fitness expected to be a priority of the incoming Argentine.
His presence is likely to be felt at the club before then, with the Evening Standard reporting that Pochettino is due in London for more meetings on Wednesday as he and the club's hierarchy make key early decisions following a disastrous season.
Pochettino will bring with him staff from his previous jobs, with trusted assistant Jesus Perez having been brought in alongside fellow backroom staff Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino.
First on their agenda will be departures, with as many up to 10 players set to leave the club following this season's bloated squad, which led to behind-the-scenes chaos. This has been openly spoken about by players, but with key names such as the vocal Thiago Silva staying for a further year, there may be signs of progress off the pitch, with assurances made by the arrival of Pochettino.
The Argentine left PSG in 2022, having won the Ligue 1 title but having failed to lead the Qatari-backed club to Champions League glory, despite the arrival of Lionel Messi. His deal was terminated by 'mutual agreement', leading to a year spent on the sidelines ahead of his contract fully expiring on June 30th.
He will provide key early inputs at Chelsea before his arrival, detailing his thoughts on the squad from the outside, with ongoing chaos at board level amid the deaprture of President of Business Tom Glick.
Chris Jurasek has been named his replacement and will be a key figure going forwards at the club as Todd Boehly and the rest of his Clearlake Capital consortium seek to make amends for a poor first season.
