Briefings are clearly going out left right and centre today.
We’ve already heard from Ben Jacobs on Simon Phillips’ Substack that Mauricio Pochettino is “likely” to be at the club next season, and the guys at the Athletic are repeating the same line.
Now we’re getting word from TeamTalk claiming that they can “exclusively” reveal that the Argentine is likely to stay – even though the Blues are looking at alternatives.
Fraser Gillan has just reported that the fact that former boss Thomas Tuchel is not an option (we could have told you that) even though he will be out of a job this summer.
Then there’s Ruben Amorim. He’s got a gaggle of Premier League clubs after him, with an interview for the West Ham job reportedly having taken place in the last few days.
Teamtalk write that “sources have continually given the same answer, which is that [Pochettino] is safe and will be evaluated at the end of the season.”
This is because “the Blues board are keen to make sure they don’t sack another manager too early into what is a long-term plan to take the club back to the top of English football.”
That’s all well and good – but all plans should be ready to change when the facts change.
Amorim too good to go to West Ham
When it seemed like Amorim was going to Liverpool, we had to accept defeat. They can simply offer a better project right now. But the idea we would let such a top coach go to West Ham is unthinkable. Even fans who are more inclined to give Pochettino more time would have to admit that letting a coach who appears to be a rising star go that easily would be a mistake.
Even if Chelsea’s plan is to stuck with Pochettino, for financial and sporting reasons, might they be willing to blow that all up to land a manager of Amorim’s quality? We may well find out soon.
