Chelsea signed Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino on Monday, looking for a quick recovery from the downturn.
Pochettino, 51, has agreed to a two-year contract with an option for a further year, to return to the Premier League four years after he was sacked from another London side, Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea directors Lawrence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “He is a successful coach who has worked at the highest levels, in many different leagues and in many different languages. His spirit, tactical approach and commitment to development make him an exceptional candidate.”
Chelsea Football Club is pleased to announce Mauricio Pochettino as the new head coach of the club!
– Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 29, 2023
Chelsea endured a disastrous season, finishing twelfth in the league for the first time under new owners, 45 points behind champions Manchester City.
American businessman Todd Boyley and investment fund Clearlake poured more than €600m into the transfer market last summer and earlier this year to bolster Chelsea’s ranks, but those investments, which mostly included young and promising players, have not paid off.
Boyley also decided to sack German manager Thomas Tuchel after just 7 matches when Chelsea were sixth in the league and appointed Brighton’s Graham Potter, a manager who was also seen as promising but had no experience at a Chelsea club.
Potter was assigned to a long-term project with Chelsea but was sacked in early April, with club legend Frank Lampard taking over temporarily until the end of the season.
Pochettino will become Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years.
The Argentine has not managed a team since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
Source: AFP.