Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as the new manager of Chelsea, beginning his role on 1 July 2023 on a two-year contract with an option of a further year. Interim manager Frank Lampard had taken Chelsea to 12th in the Premier League, their lowest finish for more than 25 years. Chelsea have stated that Pochettino was their first choice and the only manager who was brought into the club for talks. He will work with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart, who have said that his experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well. Since Todd Boehly took over as owner last July, Chelsea have spent more than £550m on players. Despite this, they suffered third-round exits in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, as well as a quarter-final loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Pochettino had been linked with a return to Tottenham after they parted company with Antonio Conte in March, but he has instead joined his former club’s London rivals. He had started his managerial career with Espanyol before a 16-month spell at Southampton, then managing Spurs from 2014 to 2019. He guided his side to the League Cup final in 2015 and a Premier League runners-up spot in 2016-17, as well as the 2019 Champions League final. Joining Chelsea is not a decision Pochettino has taken lightly; he has turned down a number of potential suitors since leaving Paris St-Germain in July 2022. What his time at PSG taught him is he needs to return to his essence, with all his passion and intensity, not dissimilar to the relationship he enjoyed with his players at Spurs. He needs to have the energy to be able to mould players, know that the players are listening to him and have the authority to ensure that this is happening. He realises that, at Chelsea, he needs to control the agenda as much as possible – something he could not do at PSG. Most importantly, he needs to get the message across that this will not be a quick fix and, more than vast sums of money, what is required most is time.