Chelsea chiefs reportedly believe it would be ‘counterproductive’ to sack Mauricio Pochettino this summer and have changed their minds on axing the head coach. The Argentine is likely to be backed to continue overseeing a hugely transitional period at Stamford Bridge despite a largely difficult season.
A recent upturn in form has papered over some poor results this term. Pochettino seemed likely to be heading for an ill-fated exit after February’s League Cup final defeat against Liverpool.
But the 52-year-old’s methods finally appear to be clicking with a young squad. The excellent performances of summer signing Cole Palmer, who struck his 22nd Premier League goal of the season in the 2-1 win over Brighton on Wednesday, have helped significantly.
According to the Guardian, Pochettino has the support of key figures within the Stamford Bridge hierarchy, although some were reportedly leaning towards a sacking only a few weeks ago. The BlueCo consortium appointed Pochettino as manager last summer, having rinsed through three managers in the first 12 months – including interim boss Frank Lampard.
The most public sign that Pochettino will remain as head coach came when Todd Boehly told a finance conference last week that Chelsea needed to be ‘patient’. “The No 1 thing is you have got to be patient,” the American said.
“You are putting something together and expecting it to come together really quickly, and the reality is anything really good takes a little bit of time. And so I think patience was always a thought.”
Pochettino, who had previously said he could quit of his own accord this summer, has revealed that he is involved in talks with the club’s owners over planning for next season. The former Tottenham head coach is set to oversee a busy summer transfer window with improvements likely to be made to his squad.
“We are planning,” Pochettino said. “We are working. I think we cannot take some comment from [me and] put in a negative way because I always try to be positive to try and translate my feelings to you and the people.
“But I never say that we were not thinking in the future. We are thinking in the future. The plan is there to start the pre-season, the data and everything, how we are going to start and then it is not in my hands to be here or not to be here.”
Chelsea are in an advantageous position to qualify for European competition for next season on the final day of the Premier League campaign. They sit in sixth, which will guarantee them at least a Conference League spot.
