Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been confirmed as the new head coach of Chelsea, initially on a two-year contract.
Pochettino has been without a job since leaving Paris Saint-Germain following their Ligue 1 title success at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
The 51-year-old will be joined by his coaching staff including assistant Jesus Perez, goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez and his eldest son Sebastiano, who worked on his staff at Spurs and PSG.
Pochettino now becomes the third permanent manager, and fifth including interims, of the Todd Boehly-Clearklake Capital era at Chelsea.
Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, said:
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“Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward.
“He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages.
His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate.”
The Blues endured a nightmare first season under their new owners, finishing in mid-table despite record-breaking transfer spending to the tune of around £600million.
Pochettino is keen to add a striker and goalkeeper to a bloated squad which needs to be trimmed down over the summer.
A statement from the club’s owners added:
“The sporting team conducted a diligent and thoughtful process that the Board is proud of.
We are delighted that Mauricio will be joining Chelsea.
Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board.”
The Argentine will officially start his role as head coach on July 1, just in time for pre-season.
