Former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino has supposedly performed a U-turn on his stance on the Chelsea job following fresh contact from the Blues.
Since Graham Potter‘s purple patch in the hotseat came to an end, Chelsea have been on a slippery slope under the Englishman, winning just three of their last 17 matches in all tournaments.
The Blues’ dismal spell of form leaves them fighting for their top-half status in the Premier League table, currently 10th in the rankings and 14 points adrift of the Champions League spots.
Potter has been blessed with a wealth of international talent following a spending spree exceeding £600m over the past two transfer windows, but their unprecedented transfer activity has not translated to success on the field.
Co-owner Todd Boehly has kept faith with Potter for the time being, but fans’ patience is wearing thin, and the board are facing ever-growing calls to give the 47-year-old the boot.
It has been reported that Chelsea’s next games against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund will be crucial to Potter’s spell in charge, and unsatisfactory results could lead to him being relieved of his duties.
Pochettino – who has been out of work since being sacked by PSG at the end of last season – is said to have rebuffed an initial approach from Chelsea, having felt that the Stamford Bridge project was not the right one for him at this moment in time.
However, according to Football Insider, fresh contact has now been made with the Argentine, who has had a change of heart and would be interested in taking on the Chelsea job.
While Boehly is still keen to give Potter time to put his long-term project into action, not all members of the Chelsea hierarchy share the American’s stance and would be open to a change in management.
The report adds that all discussions with Pochettino have been informal and exploratory so far, but Chelsea will have to fend off the interest from other clubs across Europe to hire the 51-year-old.
Aston Villa are believed to been rejected by Pochettino before hiring Unai Emery to replace Steven Gerrard, and the Argentine has been linked with a sensational return to Tottenham should Antonio Conte depart at the end of the season.
Despite failing to win a trophy in North London, Pochettino led Tottenham to the 2018-19 Champions League final before being sacked by Daniel Levy just a few months later.
During his brief stint at PSG, Pochettino won the Ligue 1 title with four games to spare in the 2021-22 season, and he also clinched Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions glory in Paris, but a Champions League capitulation at the hands of Real Madrid proved to be his downfall.
Meanwhile, Potter now boasts a record of nine wins, seven draws and 10 defeats from his first 27 games in charge of Chelsea, who return to action at home to Leeds on Saturday afternoon.
