Mauricio Pochettino’s new team is finally set. It’s Tottenham’s “London rival,” Chelsea.
Chelsea officially announced through their official channels on July 30 (KST) that Pochettino will lead the team from July 1. The contract is for two years with a one-year option. Pochettino will be joined by his former teammates from Tottenham. Jesús Pérez, Miguel Diagostino, Toni Jiménez, and Sebastiano Pochettino. Sebastiano is Pochettino’s biological son. “Pochettino’s experience, leadership, character, mentality and tactical approach will be of great benefit to the club,” Chelsea said in a statement, “He is a world-class coach with a tremendous 스포츠토토 track record of achievement and we have high hopes for him. Chelsea sacked manager Graham Potter in April and spent the remainder of the season with “legend” Frank Lampard in charge. The Blues, who were at the bottom of the table, were looking for a mastermind. Former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann and former Spain national team coach Luis Enrique were among the names on the shortlist, but the Blues ultimately chose Pochettino, who had a proven track record at Tottenham.
Pochettino was a master defender during his playing days. The former Argentina international played for Newell’s Old Boys, Espanyol, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bordeaux. After retiring in 2006, Pochettino quickly moved into coaching. He started at Espanyol, moved to Southampton, and blossomed at Tottenham in 2014. His high-pressing, fast-paced style of soccer, centered around young players, garnered him a lot of attention. With the so-called DESK lineup of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Son Heung-min, Pochettino led Tottenham to become one of the big four clubs to qualify for the European Champions League. In the 2018-2019 season, he led Tottenham to their first ever Champions League final.
After a short stint at Tottenham, Pochettino was dismissed in disgrace, and in 2021, he took charge of Paris Saint-Germain and led them to the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles. Despite the success, a falling out with his star players and failure in the Champions League led to his departure after just one season, but that didn’t diminish Pochettino’s value. He was consistently linked with Real Madrid and Manchester United. Pochettino, who had longed to return to the English game, took the reins at Chelsea and once again found himself on the biggest stage. Returning to the English Premier League (EPL) after a four-year absence, Pochettino was tasked with leading a rebound for the Blues, who finished the season in 12th place, their worst ever finish.
For Tottenham fans, this will come as a shock. As we know, Spurs and Chelsea are London derby rivals. Pochettino criticized Chelsea from the Tottenham side during the so-called “Battle of the Bridge” in May 2016, when Spurs and Chelsea battled for the title. As a result, some Spurs fans have reacted to Pochettino’s actions. They labeled him a “renegade. According to the UK’s Daily Star, one fan posted a photo on social media of Pochettino burning his autobiography. Other angry comments include, “I hope it’s worth it as Pochettino completely destroys Tottenham’s legacy” and “I hope we lose every game and are unemployed by Christmas.
According to soccer statistics site Opta, Pochettino is the fifth manager to have been in charge of both Chelsea and Tottenham. Glenn Hoddle, Andre Villas-Boas, Jose Mourinho, and Conte all experienced the two rivalries before Pochettino.
Tottenham are currently on the hunt for a new manager. After finishing the season on an acting basis with Christian Stellini and Ryan Mason following the departure of Antonio Conte, Tottenham have been playing catch-up. Every manager they’ve approached has been rebuffed. Recently, Arne Slott, who was considered the favorite to take the job, re-signed with Feyenoord, leaving allegations that he used Spurs as leverage to get a new contract. Celtic manager Enrique Postecoglou, Oh’s mentor, has also expressed a desire to stay at the club, having done a tremendous job in the Scottish Premier League this season.
In fact, Tottenham fans have been clamoring for Pochettino’s return. Pochettino, who oversaw the club’s golden era, was seen as the right man for the job. In fact, Pochettino was most strongly linked to Tottenham.
However, this was not the case. Pochettino was not on Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s radar. According to European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, “Tottenham have not been in contact with Pochettino. It’s not that he rejected Tottenham, there were no concrete conversations. It’s not Pochettino’s choice. Dan Kilpatrick, the Evening Standard’s dedicated Tottenham reporter, also said: ‘Levy was opposed to rehiring the club’s most famous manager of the EPL era. The two have remained in contact but it has never led to a contract.
Levy reportedly remembers well the downfall of the Pochettino era in 2019. His failure at Paris Saint-Germain was also one of the reasons for his rejection. Patrick concluded: ‘Overlooking Pochettino is clearly a big gamble. Whoever Levy appoints will face comparisons to Pochettino, and if he does get the job done at Stamford Bridge, Spurs fans will have to live with the memory of the manager they once had and could have had forever.