Mauricio Pochettino is now keen to bring Steve Hitchen – who left Tottenham in 2022 – to Chelsea as he prepares for life at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine – a fan favourite at Spurs – is nearing a move to west London as Daniel Levy opts to explore other avenues, rather than hire the man he fired in November 2019.
As he prepares himself to replace Frank Lampard at Chelsea, Pochettino has now set his sights on Hitchen.
What’s the story?
Well – according to the Daily Mail – Pochettino wants Jesus Perez, Toni Jimenez and also his eldest son Sebastiano with him at Chelsea in addition to Hitchen.
The 46-year-old left his role as Director of Performance at Tottenham in February 2022 after feeling outmuscled by the appointment of Fabio Paratici, who has since left Spurs as well after being handed a 30-month ban for false accounting.
Hitchen – according to the Guardian – was being considered for a similar role at Everton and Newcastle after leaving Tottenham, but as things stand, he remains unemployed and available for hire.
Pochettino faces a huge task
In our view, Pochettino is taking on a significant job by joining Chelsea.
The South American needs to restore his reputation somewhat after losing his job at Tottenham and then also at Paris Saint-Germain, where he failed to impress despite having a wealth of talent such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Chelsea are currently a mess of a club, with far too many players to choose from and no clear playing style, so Pochettino is effectively going in to work with a blank slate.
That may suit the 51-year-old, who created something out of very little at Tottenham.
However, if things do not go to plan for Pochettino once more, his reputation in the world of football management will take a big hit.
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