Chelsea are rapidly closing in on former Tottenham and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino as they zero in on their endeavors to land a long-term replacement for Graham Potter.<\/p>\n
The Blues are apparently in talks with the 51-year-old Argentine over the managerial post left vacant due to Potter\u2019s sudden exit last month, with an agreement yet to be formalized, according to the PA news agency.<\/p>\n
Blues legend and former manager Frank Lampard has been recruited back into the fold and put in interim charge since, but the team have won just one of the eight games they have played under him in his second spell at the helm, a run which culminated in Saturday\u2019s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n
Chelsea have three Premier League fixtures remaining \u2013 against Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle \u2013 and are understandably eager to have their new boss in place once the campaign is over, after having endured an abysmal season despite having invested substantially in the playing squad yet sitting embarrassingly in 11th place having managed just 11 wins in 35 league games.<\/p>\n
Julian Nagelsmann had initially been the favorite to replace Potter, but the club owners turned instead to Lampard to man the fort in the interim, to see out the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
Co-owner Todd Boehly had at the last minute pulled the plug on Potter just seven months into a five-year contract, but Chelsea\u2019s results on the pitch have yet to be improved under their former midfield lynchpin and top scorer, who at one stage oversaw a six-game losing run in all competitions.<\/p>\n
Former Argentina international Pochettino enjoyed a fruitful, constructive five-year spell at Tottenham, successfully navigating them to the Champions League final in 2019, before vacating the manager\u2019s hotseat at Paris St Germain last summer.<\/p>\n
If he is appointed by Chelsea according to expectations, Pochettino will be inheriting a most expensively-assembled, yet alarmingly under-performing, squad who will be missing out on top European football next season.<\/p>\n
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