Mauricio Pochettino has now agreed terms to join Chelsea from the start of next season and will be keeping a close eye on how the remainder of this campaign pans out under Frank Lampard
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to seek talks with Frank Lampard ahead of next season, with the former Tottenham and PSG manager likely to be taking over at Chelsea for the 2023/24 campaign.
The Blues lost their first six matches under interim manager Lampard, failing to receive the expected boost following the sacking of Graham Potter. Chelsea currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League, with four points from their last two games after beating Bournemouth and drawing against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
It was on Saturday evening after the 2-2 draw against Forest, that news broke revealing that terms had been agreed for Pochettino to take charge from the start of next season. The Argentine is expected to fly into the UK this week from Spain to finalise terms of a deal and outline his requirements for the role.
The 51-year-old is set to outline his transfer targets, with a new goalkeeper a top priority for the Blues. Mirror Football understands that the Blues are keen to pursue a move for Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, while Inter Milan and Cameroon ‘keeper Andre Onana has also been linked.
However, with such a chaotic season having just been played out at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino is likely to seek assurances that the same mistakes will not be repeated. Majority shareholder Todd Boehly has himself admitted to errors in his first season at Chelsea, having sacked two managers and with the club likely to finish in the bottom half of the table having spent over £600 million.
That outlay has left Chelsea with a bloated squad, a problem which was alluded to by defender Thiago Silva as one of the issues causing such a poor season. The current state of the playing squad is expected to be a topic of conversation when Pochettino speaks with Lampard, a meeting which has been reported by the Daily Mail.
Frank Lampard’s time as interim Chelsea manager will be an important insight for Mauricio Pochettino ( Image: (Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images))
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Following this expected conversation, Pochettino is likely to make his own judgements when the squad meets up for pre-season, which is likely to begin at the end of June. There will be a requirement to cut players from the squad in order to comply with Finacial Fair Play (FFP) rules ahead of the start of next season.
It could leave some difficult decisions to make, with some areas of the squad being more bloated than others. Some key players may have to leave, such as Mateo Kovacic.
The expected exodus will all be dependent on contract negotiations as well, with Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante both needing to resolve their futures after protracted talks regarding new deals.
