On Tuesday evening, Chelsea dropped what may be prove to be biggest bombshell of the off-season, albeit only two days after the curtain fell on the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Just as things appeared to be looking up, Chelsea finishing in a respectable sixth place after ending the campaign with five straight wins, the man bringing some stability to this basket case of an institution walked out the door.
Mauricio Pochettino is gone.
All of Chelsea’s progress – lurching from crisis to catastrophe to something approaching calm – torn up by an ownership group who appear to have a penchant for considering their options and then choosing the most baffling one nine times out of ten.
HITC understands that Chelsea want a ‘young’ and ‘forward-thinking’ manager keen to ’embrace’ the long-term contract at Stamford Bridge. The irony being, of course, that those are three attributes you would usually associate with the man who turned a Tottenham team full of kids into Premier League and Champions League challengers.
One thing that Pochettino’s departure does not appear to have altered, however, is Chelsea’s interest in a striker who moved to the Premier League in 2023 to the tune of £18 million.
Jhon Duran, the Aston Villa forward‘s agent explains, was not a Pochettino target but a club target.
Chelsea like Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran
“Jhon Duran has a long-term contract,” Jonathan Herrera tells Caracol. “He ended up doing things very well and the coach is counting on him. it is a club that, having gotten into the Champions League, is a great opportunity.
“But we know that he wants to play. He wants to go out and play. Let’s see. Now, the market is opening. The club is looking at some options and so are we.”
“The interest (from Chelsea) has always existed. The fact that Pochettino leaves the club (should not affect what happens). The one who wants him, in the end, is the club. There has always been an interest.
“Let’s see how we can handle it and make sure Aston Villa is ready.”
Duran, still only 20, started only three Premier League games in 2023/24. That, however, is less a comment on his own abilities and more a testament to the consistent excellence of Ollie Watkins. The Colombia international still ended the season with eight goals in all competitions, however, including a late brace off the bench in that thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool.
Chelsea remain keen despite Pochettino exit
HITC understands that there was a chance, in the January window, that Duran could have joined Chelsea with Armando Broja heading in the other direction. Broja is likely to be available again after struggling on loan at Fulham.
HITC have also been told that Chelsea’s pursuit of a Pochettino replacement could see them turn to Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna, even if Brighton are confident that he can be lured to the South Coast to take Roberto de Zerbi’s seat
There is interest in Vincent Kompany too, despite relegation with Burnley, alongside Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Leicester’s Enzo Maresca, Girona’s Michel, Bologna’s Thiago Motta and Andoni Iraola of AFC Bournemouth.
The Ruben Amorim ship, however, appears to have sailed for now.
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