Mauricio Pochettino has agreed terms to take over as new Chelsea manager in June.
The former PSG and Tottenham manager has reportedly had advanced negotiations with the Blues since April and is expected to put pen to paper on a deal to be officially announced in the next few days.
Frank Lampard is to remain until end of season
Interim manager Frank Lampard is set to see out the remaining games till the end of the season.
Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has also claimed that Pochettino has accepted all the terms of a long-term deal and will discuss the summer transfer strategy with the club immediately.
New striker top priority
It is believed that Chelsea are planning to sign a striker in the upcoming transfer window as they look to put a disastrous season behind them and start afresh next campaign.
A busy window surely awaits the London side, who would be desperate to trim their squad given they have 31 first-team players and several returning to Stamford Bridge from their loan spells at the end of the season.
Pochettino will be the third manager in the Todd Boehly ownership era at Chelsea, and his first job would be to surely bring stability at the club. The Argentine has been out of work since last summer after a difficult spell at Paris St Germain.
It is believed that the club had a five-man managerial shortlist that had the likes of former Spain national team coach Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann, the former Bayern Munich manager.
The latter was interested but ruled himself out of contention given the pace of the process.
Chelsea, however, were determined to follow a methodical approach after firing Thomas Tuchel who was replaced by Graham Potter just two days later. Fast forward seven months, Potter was relieved of his job duties following a disastrous series of results on the pitch.
It will be interesting to see Pochettino’s approach next season. The 51-year-old has loads of Premier League experience during his stints at Southampton and Tottenham. However, Chelsea will be a fresh challenge.
The Blues have lofty ambitions, having spent £600m on new signings in the past year; however, the current season has not gone to plan. Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League table with 3 games left.
Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images
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