Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly turned down the chance to replace under fire Chelsea manager Graham Potter, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.
After losing 1-0 at home to Southampton in their previous Premier League outing, Potter has said that he knows there is pressure on him from the supporters.
Despite recent reports claiming that Chelsea and their owner Todd Boehly are willing to back their current manager, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding one other head coach the west London club have shown an interest in.
In a recent Twitter post, Bailey had this to say on the situation.
“Mauricio Pochettino turns down Chelsea approach to replace Graham Potter. Understand Chelsea showed interest late last week, and the former Spurs man was targeted but he was not keen. Chelsea won’t remove Potter without a plan.”
In an attached article for 90min, Bailey revealed that Pochettino is open to a return to management, but that any move he does choose to make must be under the right conditions, with Chelsea not currently meeting those conditions.
With 598 combined games under his belt as a manager with Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, the 50-year-old has won 292 of them, drawing 129 and losing 177.
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Having been sacked by his previous club PSG, the Argentinian, who Pep Guardiola called an “excellent manager”, has been out of work since July.
Taking into account his experience of managing in England and getting Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, it’s understandable why Chelsea may have had an interest in seeing if Pochettino would be willing to take over from Potter.
However, with the former Spurs boss apparently turning down the opportunity to return to the Premier League, it seems that Chelsea will have to stick with Potter, as is being reported, or look to other potential managerial candidates if they want to change things up in the dugout.