William Gallas doesn't believe that Tottenham supporters will take offence to Mauricio Pochettino signing a deal at Chelsea. The former Spurs boss has been heavily linked with replacing Frank Lampard in the dugout, with Todd Boehly on the hunt for a permanent successor to Graham Potter.
football.london understands that the Blues held 'very positive talks' with the former Tottenham boss on Monday evening regarding the vacant head coach position at Stamford Bridge. While the west Londoners do not want to rush into an appointment, it's believed that Pochettino is now the front-runner for the job, with confidence from both parties that a deal will get done.
Senior figures at Chelsea see the 51-year-old as the ideal fit to lead the club's long-term project, and the Argentine is keen to make his return to the Premier League. football.london also understand that the Blues players welcome the arrival of Pochettino, but some supporters still need convincing.
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The prospect of a former Tottenham boss agreeing a deal with Chelsea has divided opinion among sections of the fanbase. However, in an interview with Genting Casino, William Gallas insisted that Pochettino has the ability to deal with the potential controversy just fine.
"Come on! Pochettino will deal with the situation of managing Chelsea very well. [Jose] Mourinho was at Chelsea and he went to Tottenham, it wasn’t a problem.
"It was not a problem. If Pochettino goes to Chelsea, I think he will do really well. He gave a lot of himself to Tottenham. He was at PSG for a season and won a trophy.
"If he goes to Chelsea, I think he will be ready for the experience. It won’t be a problem for him. He will think very carefully about the next club he manages.
"He will want to find the right club. A manager like him, with his ambition, he will only be interested in managing a big club. This is one opportunity that he may be considering.
"I’m not sure if he will be the next Chelsea manager, but I am certain that he will deal with situation very well. OK, he will probably be a little bit emotional when he has to play Tottenham, but that is normal and isn’t a problem."
After Pochettino failed to get his hands on any silverware at Tottenham, Simon Jordan claimed that the Argentine won't transform Chelsea back into serial winners again. Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Crystal Palace owner said: "I was under the impression that Chelsea wanted to be winners, not contenders.
"If you want to be contenders, fantastic, Pochettino is your man. No doubt about it, you’ve got good enough playing squad there, you get a centre-forward in, and you’d be fine.
"I thought they wanted to be winners, that’s where I differ. Pochettino will be better than [Graham] Potter because he’s used to managing at a certain end of the pyramid. But will he win anything with Chelsea? I don’t think so."
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