Mauricio Pochettino has just been confirmed as Chelsea’s new manager, so it was time to hit “publish” on a raft of articles around the footballing world.
One of the more interesting ones comes in the Evening Standard from Dan Kilpatrick. He covered Tottenham for the paper throughout Pochettino’s time there are knows more about it than most.
He attempted to explain why Spurs didn’t go back for their former boss, despite having no manager of their own and despite Pochettino remaining an exceptionally popular figure there.
In the end it seems a lot comes down to Daniel Levy’s desire to not retread old ground, something that Chelsea don’t have to worry about in this case.
But Spurs are also in search of something they found in the old Pochettino, as Kilpatrick points out here:
“Levy is looking for a new coach in the mould of Pochettino in 2014 — young, hungry, up-and-coming — and sources close to the chairman say the 2023 version does not fit the profile. He is nearly a decade older now, more experienced but undeniably a different coach.”
Certainly his spell at PSG didn’t go to plan and seriously undermined his previous immaculate coaching credentials. Chelsea’s co-sporting directors are clearly hoping that some of that hunger has returned after an embarrassing time in Paris.