The new Rafa Benitez? Pochettino is another RISKY appointment by Chelsea

James Shearman

• Updated: 29 May 2023 16:40 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have officially announced Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach for the 2023-24 season.

Pochettino, who led Tottenham to four top-four Premier League finishes and the 2019 Champions League final, had been without a job since being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain last year.

Pochettino beat former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and ex-Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique to the Chelsea job.

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But while Pochettino would appear a good fit for the west London club, with several years of experience at the top of the game, here's why it is another risky appointment by the Chelsea hierarchy:

Why Pochettino is another RISKY appointment for Chelsea

The obvious reason that Pochettino is a huge risk for the west London club is his time at Tottenham.

Not only did the Argentine coach Chelsea's fiercest rivals, but he remains their best manager of the Premier League era.

In fact, Spurs fans have sung 'he's magic, you know, Mauricio Pochettino' many times this past campaign.

There is a good chance that he will not be accepted by the Blues faithful under any circumstances, similar to Rafa Benitez after his time at Liverpool, potentially creating a toxic atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.

Add to that, Pochettino has developed the reputation of a 'bottlejob' - very much tied to his tenure in charge of Spurs.

His Tottenham side were unplayable at times, but easy to beat on other occasions - usually the biggest ones. They were incredibly poor in the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in 2019.

At PSG, Pochettino did win Ligue 1, as expected, but crashed out of the Champions League in the round-of-16 stage.

Indeed, he lacks the 'born winner' persona that Chelsea fans crave in their managers.