Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly rejected an approach from Chelsea to be appointed as their new manager, with pressure growing around Graham Potter’s position at the club.
90min claim that the former Tottenham manager has turned down an initial approach from the Blues over becoming the new head coach of the west London side, with Potter’s side losing yet again over the weekend in a 1-0 defeat to Premier League cellar-dwellers Southampton.
As per the report, some figures at Chelsea don’t share Todd Boehly’s belief that Potter is the right fit for the club in the long-term, with the American businessman throwing his full belief behind the English coach to turn things around and to take the Stamford Bridge side back to the top of the game.
Chelsea currently sit 11 points off the top-four and are currently losing 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie against the German side, and Pochettinio has now rejected the chance to potentially replace Potter at the club.
Indeed, Pochettino’s last spell in the hot seat came with PSG, where the Argentinan coach was sacked having been eliminated from Europe and failed to get the best out of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, with Tottenham links continuing to circulate for the 50-year-old.
With Antonio Conte rumoured to leave Tottenham at the end of the season, Pochettino is seemingly more likely to be appointed manager of his former Premier League side, which could be why the South American has turned down this latest approach from Chelsea.
Chelsea appointing Pochettino could have been another disaster
The Roman Abramovich era saw Chelsea managers come and go like they were going out of fashion, yet Boehly seems to be taking a more methodical approach to things in west London, with the American keen to give Potter time to do his job and to get things clicking again. And appointing Pochettino could have been a poor move.
As well as strong links to a Premier League rival in Tottenham, Pochettino would have easily fallen into a similar boat that Potter currently finds himself in, with the Argentine someone who would be hounded by supporters at the first opportunity with little remorse or time to get his ideas and tactics imbedded.
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