Tottenham Hotspur fans react to Mauricio Pochettino taking charge at Chelsea

Feargal Brennan

•
Tottenham Hotspur fans react to Mauricio Pochettino taking charge at Chelsea image

Chelsea have made an immediate statement, less than 24 hours after their final Premier League game of 2022/23, with Mauricio Pochettino confirmed as their new manager.

The Blues have been working on a deal to appoint Graham Potter's permanent successor at Stamford Bridge following a poor end to the campaign.

Under caretaker head coach Frank Lampard, Chelsea missed out on a European qualification place, as they finished in the bottom half for the first time since 1996.

Pochettino has plenty of Premier League experience but fans of former club Tottenham have offered a mixed reaction to the move.

MORE: Frank Lampard offers foreboding farewell to Chelsea: 'I wish the new manager well... it's his problem'

Mauricio Pochettino Chelsea contract, objectives and first words

Pochettino has signed a two-year contract at Chelsea, which will run until the end of the 2024/25 season, with the option of an extra 12 months.

The 51-year-old will formally begin his new role from July 1 ahead of the club's USA preseason tour.

"Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board," the club said in an official statement.

"His experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea well as we move forward.  He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest level, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate."

Potter was given a record breaking transfer budget by club owner Todd Boehly, and Pochettino will be backed in the market this summer, but he will also be forced to make some key calls on current players.

England international Mason Mount has been linked with an exit, and Pochettino will be tasked with bringing out the best from underperforming stars Mykhailo Mudryk, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz.

With no European football in 2023/24, Pochettino will be solely focused on domestic action, with his minimum objective set as a top four finish.

Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham record

Pochettino's first taste of Premier League football came in January 2013, as he replaced Nigel Adkins at Southampton, and led the Saints to a 14th place finish.

In his first full season at the St. Mary's Stadium, the Argentinian secured an 8th place finish, before moving to Tottenham ahead of the 2014/15 season.

In five full seasons in north London, he transformed Tottenham into a regular Champions League qualifier, with four top-four finishes, from 2014/15 to 2018/19.

However, despite his impressive record at Spurs, his time at the club was also tinged with frustration, after losing out to Leicester City in the 2015/16 Premier League title race and being edged out by Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final.

After a low key start to the 2019/20 season, he left Tottenham, with Jose Mourinho eventually named as his replacement.

The former defender opted for a period out of the game after his departure, before taking charge at Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021, and going on to win the 2021/22 Ligue 1 title.

Tottenham fans react to Pochettino news

Despite speculation over Pochettino joining Chelsea ramping up in recent days, Spurs fans have been left frustrated at the fact he's now joined their rivals.

Feargal Brennan

Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.