Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea future to be decided in end-of-season review
Chelsea will stick to their plan of holding an end-of-season review in the days after the club’s final game against Bournemouth, which will ultimately determine the future of head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino will have one year remaining on the contract he signed last summer at the end of the season, although Chelsea hold an option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Chelsea’s intention since hiring Pochettino was always to assess his performance, together with the performance of the club as a whole, at the end of his first season in charge, regardless of fluctuations in form and results.
That is why Pochettino has never been in danger of being fired following disappointing results, such as the 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal or when supporters chanted against him during the draw at Brentford. But it also explains why assurances over his future beyond this season are yet to be given with three games left to play.
Pochettino himself has suggested that he will seek clarification on issues from the owners and sporting directors at the end of the season, which means his future may not simply be decided by the club.
The end-of-season review, which is likely to include Pochettino, sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and members of the co-ownership team of Behdad Eghbali, Todd Boehly and Jose E Feliciano, is expected to take place in the days after the Bournemouth game.
Chelsea do not want a situation where the club and Pochettino are waiting weeks or months to assess their first campaign, which is expected to be judged in its entirety, together.
The general upward trend since the start of the year, together with recent performances and results, has certainly boosted Pochettino and co-owner Boehly appeared to offer him encouragement this week.
Boehly impressed by recent performances
Pochettino recently said he had not been in direct contact with Chelsea’s owners and has suggested that questions over his future should be directed towards them and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
With three games remaining against Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth that will determine whether or not Chelsea qualify for Europe, there will not be any decisions made before the end of the season.
Speaking at a Sportico conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Boehly said: “We’ve seen the last two and a half games...in the second half at Aston Villa [2-2 draw] and Tottenham [2-0 win] and West Ham [5-0 win] where we played beautiful football.
“It was so fluid, it was exactly the way we drew it up, when we came out of the back, built up and moved up the pitch, [it was] very organised and the number of shots we had. In those two-and-a-half games, you could really start to see what we were working on coming together.”
Chelsea are seventh in the table, which would currently be enough for them to qualify for next season’s Europa Conference League. Despite claims the club could struggle to comply with Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules, which differ from the Premier League’s profit and sustainability test, it is expected Chelsea would take up a place in the Conference League or Europa League, should they qualify.
While the Conference League would not satisfy Chelsea’s ambitions and could, in theory, lose the club money, it would offer young players valuable European experience and the chance to win a trophy. Not taking up a place in the competition would also be viewed as disrespectful by rival clubs and European officials.
Chelsea’s new director of global recruitment Sam Jewell has started work after a period of gardening leave at Brighton. He will report to Winstanley and Stewart.
