Is Mauricio Pochettino angling for a potential return to Chelsea? During the 2023/24 season, the Argentine head coach led the Blues to an FA Cup semi-final, the Carabao Cup Final and sixth in the Premier League table, six places and 19 points better off than the previous year. Nevertheless, at the end of that campaign, despite winning each of their final five fixtures, BlueCo decided to sack Pochettino in favour of appointing Enzo Maresca.
Since then, the 54 year old become United States head coach, set to lead the Stars and Stripes at this summer's World Cup on home soil. However, once that tournament is done, it is pretty clear that Pochettino wants to return to elite-level club management, specially in England.
Earlier this week, Pochettino said "I love the country, its culture, the football culture. For anyone with a competitive spirit who wants to measure themselves against others and test their abilities, it's the ideal place. You have to constantly give your best."
He added that he was "so happy in America, but also thinking one day to come back to the Premier League". It's clear that the Argentine would ideally like to land one of the biggest jobs in England. However, could his options be limited? Arsenal is off the table, Manchester City and Liverpool appear highly unlikely, while recent results suggest Michael Carrick is going to remain in situ at Manchester United.
The obvious position for Pochettino to fill is back at Tottenham Hotspur. He previously led Spurs to four consecutive top-four finishes, as well as an EFL Cup and Champions League Final, before being unceremoniously dismissed in November 2019. Nevertheless, he remains a beloved figure in N17, and would be most fan's first-choice. However, the elephant in the room is the fact that Tottenham could be a Championship club by the summer, surely ruling Pochettino out of a Spurs return.
Chelsea do not need to hire Mauricio Pochettino
That leaves only Chelsea, where Liam Rosenior's position is hardly secure, having overseen four successive defeats, the Blues' worst run since 1993. The Blues are currently sixth in the Premier League table, thereby on course to miss out on Champions League qualification, which could see Rosenior replaced, despite having only arrived as recently as 8 January.
So, would Pochettino be a good fit? Well, in some ways, yes. He knows how BlueCo operate, for better or for worse, an environment that Maresca grew tired of and disagreements over player availability ultimately led to his departure. The Argentine also become renowned for his work developing young players at both Spurs and Southampton, which is one of the reasons Clearlake hired him in the first place.
On the flip side, his Tottenham connections meant that the Chelsea support never really took Pochettino to their hearts, while re-appointing him would be, at best, met with a mixed response, very much viewed as a backwards step. Thus, if BlueCo are looking to replace Rosenior come the summer, they should look elsewhere.