IN appointing Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea hope they have - at the second attempt - landed the perfect manager to build a new era under Todd Boehly and Co.
Pochettino, who is set to finally be confirmed as boss this week, interviewed for the job when Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September, but Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali opted for Graham Potter instead.
Chelsea have now moved to correct what Boehly and Egbali have privately acknowledged was a mistake, handing Pochettino the return to a top Premier League club he has wanted since being sacked by Tottenham in 2019.
Chelsea conducted a thorough, sixweek search for Potter's permanent successor, led by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, but in so many respects Pochettino has long been the obvious choice - and not just because he is a free agent.
Unlike Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Ruben Amorim, who were all considered, the Argentine knows the Premier League inside out after 18 months at Southampton and five-anda-half years with Spurs, and already has a home in London, splitting his time between the capital and Barcelona.
He has a record of playing attractive, high-octane football; is equally comfortable managing star names and developing young players; has a proven track record of bringing unity and values to a club; and returns to English football with a point to prove, still without a trophy on these shores - the only caveat to his excellent work at Spurs.
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