Former Chelsea manager wants Premier League return despite lasting just one season with the Blues
Chelsea are one of the Premier League’s less tolerant teams when it comes to managers, but one who was dismissed after just one season at Stamford Bridge has his eyes on a return to England.
Chelsea have gone through a fair few managers in the last ten years.
Enzo Maresca has held the position now for almost 18 months, the longest stint since Thomas Tuchel back in 2022.
But it’s the man replaced by the Italian at Chelsea who has his heart set on a return to the English top flight.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Mauricio Pochettino isn’t done with the Premier League
Chelsea had a brief affair with Mauricio Pochettino before landing on Maresca as the best man to execute BlueCo’s vision.
He was with the Blues for the 2023/24 season, tasked with improving on a woeful 12th-place league finish the season before. The former Spurs boss took Chelsea up to 6th, but clashes with those behind-the-scenes cut the experiment short.
Now managing next summer’s World Cup hosts, the US national team, he is fully focused on the tournament in June. Pochettino had a nightmare start with the US team, but seems to have turned it around just in time.
That said, he admits he has ambitions of competing once again in the Premier League.
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Interviewed by BBC Sport, he remarks: “Yeah, the Premier League for me is the best league in the world. Of course, I am missing it.
“I am so happy in America, in USA, but thinking always one day to come back to the Premier League. I think it’s the most competitive league and of course why not one day to come back again. Hopefully.”
Even if the wheels fall off with Maresca, it’s not likely Pochettino would be brought back to Stamford Bridge — for the same reason he left in the first place.
Who is Chelsea’s best manager of the past decade? 👀
🚨🚨| Chelsea have had 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 different managers in just 8 years:
▪️Antonio Conte – 2016
▪️Maurizio Sarri – 2018
▪️Frank Lampard – 2019
▪️Thomas Tuchel – 2021
▪️Graham Potter – 2022
▪️Frank Lampard – 2023 (interim)
▪️Mauricio Pochettino – 2023 pic.twitter.com/enXca4buaa
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) May 21, 2024
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Chelsea and Pochettino aren’t compatible
Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual agreement at the end of the season.
While he didn’t set the world alight while in the post, his departure was more down to ideology than to performance.
6th place isn’t what Chelsea work towards, but this was off the back of one of the Blues’ worst campaigns this century.
Rather, Pochettino clashed with the Chelsea board over transfer strategy and long-term vision. Whether it was unwanted sales or questionable buys, he just didn’t see eye-to-eye with Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
Despite that, Pochettino thinks Chelsea’s project will come good. He just wasn’t the right man to lead it.
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