Finally. The wait is over. Mauricio Pochettino has been confirmed as the new Chelsea head coach.
The Argentine has signed a two-year contract at Stamford Bridge with the option of a further 12 months. Pochettino will officially start his role on July 1, just in time for pre-season training as Chelsea jet off to the United States.
A statement from the Chelsea owners read: "The sporting team conducted a diligent and thoughtful process that the Board is proud of. We are delighted that Mauricio will be joining Chelsea. Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board."
READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino confirmed as Chelsea manager after signing two-year contract
There is likely to be work going on behind the scenes at Chelsea with Pochettino over the next month, but his official start date isn't until the beginning of July. When he does properly begin his new role, there are a number of things for him to address and football.london have listed them.
Get that confidence back
Frank Lampard recently admitted Chelsea players' confidence was very low – and it's no surprise given how the 2022/23 season panned out for the Blues. Sixteen defeats in the Premier League, and no decent runs in any cup competition made for a very, very underwhelming campaign for the club.
Pochettino is well known in football for his man-management expertise, something that former players at pretty much every club he has managed have spoken about in the past. That makes him the ideal fit for Chelsea right now, with the situation they find themselves in.
Pre-season is about a lot of things; fitness, playing style, ideas – but for Pochettino there is also the task of putting his arm around one or two players, telling them how good they are, making them believe again. He now has a very talented squad at his disposal but one that has massively underperformed for the last 12 months or so.
Sort the Mount situation out
football.london understands Pochettino is a big fan of Mason Mount and in an ideal world, the England international would be part of his plans for next season. However, there are further complications that mean that might not be the case.
Mount has just over a year remaining on his contract with Chelsea and after months of negotiations with the club, an agreement is no closer to being reached between the two parties. This has alerted the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal – with the former of the three understood to be the front-runners right now.
One way or another; whether that means Mount leaving or staying, the situation needs to be sorted out. Pochettino is likely to have conversations with the club's board and the player himself over the matter and perhaps act as the peacemaker and middle-man in negotiations.
Implement a style
As alluded to above, implementing a style is so important for any new manager coming into a club. Especially someone like Pochettino, who has introduced a fairly unique playing style at whatever club he has managed.
It could take some time for his new players to learn – and nobody is expecting perfection overnight – but that's the good thing about him taking the job from July 1; he now has time. Not as much time as he would like, clearly, but this pre-season will be crucial in getting his ideas across to the squad he is inheriting.
Identify players' roles
There is set to be a mass clearout at Stamford Bridge this summer with 10-plus players expected to leave the club. It's up to Pochettino, and his backroom staff, to identify which players they want to keep around or ones they would not be adverse to either selling or sending on loan.
Pochettino will have a rough idea in his head already having watched Chelsea a lot over the last few weeks while negotiations have been taking place. But until he gets on the training pitch for pre-season, he won't know for certain.
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