Chelsea to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as Graham Potter's successor: report

Chelsea target Mauricio Pochettino reacts during the UEFA Champions League Round Of Sixteen Leg Two match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 09, 2022 in Madrid, Spain
(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

Chelsea want Mauricio Pochettino to replace Graham Potter, in an audacious managerial swoop that will no doubt upset rival fans at Tottenham.

That's according to one report that claims the Argentinian is the man that Todd Boehly wants next in the Stamford Bridge hot seat – and that despite his connection to London rivals Spurs, he would welcome an approach.

Pochettino apparently still has a property in London, despite leaving the capital in 2019, when he was sacked as manager of the Lilywhites, mere months after guiding them to a first-ever Champions League final. 

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter during a training session on 30 December, 2022

Graham Potter has managed just 11 Premier League matches (Image credit: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

The Sun claims that Chelsea's hierarchy are considering cutting ties with Potter just four months into his time as Blues boss after picking up just four wins in the league following his appointment. 

Potter has had to deal with an injury-ravaged squad and is apparently being given time – though the pressure is on to deliver tangible improvement in the short-term. In Chelsea's FA Cup third-round defeat to Manchester City, away fans were chanting predecessor Thomas Tuchel's name. 

Pochettino, meanwhile, has been out of the game ever since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season. The 50-year-old picked up three trophies while managing the French giants and led them to the semi-finals of the Champions League. 

Coming back to England would mark a third stint in the Premier League, following time at Tottenham and Southampton. He has been consistently linked with Manchester United in the past, too. 

Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino at Old Trafford, during his time at Tottenham manager (Image credit: Getty)

Potter has compared his early struggles in west London to those of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. He has also hinted that new signing Joao Felix could be in line to play against Fulham this week. 

Chelsea are currently tenth in the Premier League. 

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The Blues have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Enzo Fernandez, with Benfica refusing to budge on their asking price.

Meanwhile, Celtic's Josip Juranovic and Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries are said to have been identified as potential right-back targets, with Reece James out injured.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.