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Chelsea in advanced talks over Mauricio Pochettino – and what really went wrong with Julian Nagelsmann
Mauricio Pochettino is in advanced talks to replace Graham Potter at Chelsea. Things are moving fast and as of Monday evening final negotiations were underway. It wasn’t quite a done deal as of Monday night, and Chelsea hadn’t issued any kind of contract, but there was real confidence from both sides a deal was close.
Things could well progress very quickly now over the coming days, and Pochettino is expected to be joined by his assistant Jesus Perez and his son, Sebastino, who is a sports scientist.
Chelsea have considered Pochettino multiple times, both under Roman Abramovich and Clearlake-Boehly. Pochettino was a candidate after Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September, but Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali decided to hire Potter instead. Plus, Pochettino was not entirely sold on the project back then. This was due to not wanting to rush straight back into work following his PSG exit, and there being less structure at Chelsea.
Fans may say things are worse now, and that’s true on the field in terms of Chelsea’s season, but remember back then Chelsea didn’t have a recruitment team and the owners and board were basically brand new. Now Pochettino has had time to see Chelsea develop and understand the long-term plan. The timing just feels better for Pochettino, and next season can be a bit of a clean slate.
There have also already been talks about summer outgoings and Pochettino’s desire to keep Mount Mason, which is shared by the ownership despite very firm interest from Liverpool.
With Pochettino, as of Monday night, getting really close and things expected to progress over the next 48 hours, Chelsea can soon start to plan for next season. Of course for much of the hiring process Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique were both considered strong contenders, yet Chelsea sources always stressed it was an open race to replace Potter.
Julian Nagelsmann was never the preferred candidate and the story behind his withdrawal has two sides. Those close to the ex-Bayern boss say he wasn’t sold on the vision having received what is termed an ‘inconsistent’ picture of it during talks. They also stress the hiring process wasn’t structured as Nagelsmann had hoped, which can be taken as code for he thought the job was his.
Chelsea sources paint a slightly different picture, emphasising Nagelsmann wasn’t prepared to go through what has repeatedly been termed an “exhaustive process”. The 35-year-old wanted a managerial coronation not a process. It’s also been made clear Chelsea never made Nagelsmann any promises he was their top choice, and that actually due diligence on him provided mixed (and even some negative) feedback.
Moises Caicedo has been praising Arsenal, so is a summer move still on?
Moises Caicedo will again be a name to watch during the summer window after being one of the big January stories. The Ecuadorian midfielder aggressively pushed for a move, but Brighton rejected offers from Chelsea and Arsenal. Caicedo had issued a statement on his social media platforms saying he wanted to leave for “a magnificent opportunity” only to sign a new deal at Brighton until 2027 (with a club option for an extra year) once the window shut.
Brighton handled the situation brilliantly, and Caicedo’s extension has protected his value. He could still leave this summer, and his desire to do so hasn’t gone away, but Brighton’s outgoings are going to be intriguing and should be viewed collectively in many ways. Tony Bloom and Paul Barber will only sell on their terms, and if replacements are found. Plus, Roberto De Zerbi won’t want a mass exodus, especially not if Brighton qualify for Europe. The last thing Brighton will want is to lose Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister if they have Europa League football.
There is huge interest in both players. Mac Allister wants to move early. He is high up on Liverpool’s list and Manchester United appreciate him, too. Caicedo could still end up at Arsenal, even though West Ham’s Declan Rice remains the top defensive-midfield target.
Arsenal can’t really be faulted for not getting Caicedo in January, even though hindsight shows he’d have been a useful addition for the back end of this season. It just wasn’t a case of stumping up. In the end, with time running out in the window, Brighton were simply not prepared to sell. Arsenal made two offers – the highest being for a total package of £70m – and then walked away. This was wise since making a third offer could have weakened their relationship with Brighton. Perhaps if Arsenal had come in earlier things might have been different, but Caicedo’s agent situation was complicated until the final weeks of the window.
Brighton never directly quoted a price on Caicedo. It’s not how they work when they don’t want to engage or sell. The summer may be different and crucially is a longer window. Caicedo would be a great fit at Arsenal, but striking a deal with Brighton won’t be easy – and may be even harder, or at least drawn out, if Mac Allister goes first. The Seagulls still have all the control because of how they handled their star names.
There are other Premier League clubs looking at Caicedo as well. Chelsea obviously placed a bid in January as well. They will bring in another midfielder, but who will now depend on input from the new manager, most likely Pochettino. Liverpool have held a long-standing interest in Caicedo, dating back to his time at Independiente del Valle. But they never bid in January and Mac Allister is more likely at this stage.
There have also been rumours of Caicedo going to Real Madrid after he termed the European champions his “dream club” but he’s not on Real’s radar currently. Real are well stocked in his position and Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni are going to be at the Bernabeu for years to come.
The truth about Jose Mourinho PSG links and the latest on Lionel Messi’s future
Christophe Galtier is widely expected to leave PSG at the end of the season despite only being in charge for one season. The goal first is on winning Ligue 1 and then his future will be resolved.
Rumours of Jose Mourinho replacing him are premature right now. Mourinho has always been appreciated by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, but there’s no talks taking place. Mourinho is focused on trying to qualify for the Champions League with Roma.
Should PSG make a managerial change, anyone incoming must understand the new project. PSG are not trying to buy as many established big-money stars currently. They are very much intent on investing in youth and want to buy French talents if possible, too. There will always be exceptions, but the recruitment strategy has definitely shifted and either Galtier or a new manager must understand that.
Whereas Neymar could stay, and wants to, Lionel Messi’s future remains unclear. As revealed last year, there was never a ‘verbal pact’ between Messi and PSG to extend. After the World Cup, Messi’s camp did indicate a desire to stay in Paris, but no details were discussed. PSG always knew talks would begin in January, with the club pushing for a new 1+1 deal rather than a straight extension, which is also possible within Messi’s existing contract.
Talks have stalled, although once again nothing was ever agreed in the first place, but it’s fair to say PSG were hoping back in January a deal would be complete by now. The fact it hasn’t been is partly down to Messi assessing options, but also PSG moving in a different direction. And whereas late last year, a Messi return to Barcelona was little more than a dream, now Joan Laporta is seriously looking at how he can make it work. It’s complicated but possible.
Manchester United the most concrete suitors for Harry Kane despite Chelsea and PSG links
While we’re on the subject of PSG, they have also been linked with Harry Kane, but I still see the Spurs striker remaining in the Premier League. As revealed in October, he isn’t sold on Bayern either. There is still no total guarantee Kane leaves Spurs. But whereas Spurs were calm about a renewal up until about January, there is growing pessimism he will extend now. But a lot will depend on the new boss, and although Spurs is very chaotic right now – it’s easily the biggest crisis Daniel Levy has faced – Kane could also use this to have a significant say in the new manager and Fabio Paratici’s replacement.
Manchester United are the most concrete English suitor for Kane and are currently doing their due diligence on any deal. Even if they get buy in on the player side, it’s still important to stress a deal could well be done by new owners, instead of under the Glazers, so there are a lot of moving parts. And Levy won’t make things easy – Manchester United know this from when they signed Dimitar Berbatov. And the price is expected to be around £100m if a deal is struck. This isn’t a new or raised number either. It’s really always been that high.
Kane will also no doubt be linked to Chelsea if Pochettino joins, and there is certainly admiration for him amongst the Chelsea board. Who wouldn’t want a proven Premier League goalscorer – even from a London rival – if he becomes available on the market? But Kane to Chelsea is seen as unlikely (although not impossible!) at this stage, especially with Chelsea lacking Champions League football next season. And until Kane (and as importantly Levy) makes up his mind, it’s premature to predict the next step. This is why Manchester United are trying to move early, to understand the full picture and avoid a drawn-out saga. They will only move if they know they aren’t going to get messed about or used as leverage and are trying to understand this before the window opens.
Could Randal Kolo Muani be a Harry Kane alternative for Man Utd? Click here to find out more!
Manchester United monitoring new goalkeepers despite Erik ten Hag’s praise of David de Gea
Erik ten Hag was asked about David de Gea’s future after Manchester United’s disappointing Europa League exit to Sevilla. De Gea had an error-prone display in Spain but ten Hag pointed out after the game that he has “the most clean sheets in the Premier League. That number shows he’s a very capable goalkeeper.”
De Gea seems to dramatically oscillate at times being game-saving stops and game-costing errors. He has committed the most errors leading to a goal across all competitions since the start of last season, but he’s also saved plenty of points and in spectacular fashion.
Manchester United’s intention is still to keep de Gea, and the stops he made against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final show why. De Gea is expected to sign a new deal on reduced wages, with an agreement not far off, but that hasn’t stopped Manchester United looking at alternatives, especially with Dean Henderson, currently on loan at Nottingham Forest, also not wanting to return to the club unless he’s crowned No.1.
David Raya is one player to watch with Brentford resigned to losing him during the summer. Thomas Frank has said he’s worth at least £40m. Porto’s Diogo Costa is another name Manchester United (and Chelsea) have been scouting. Mike Maignan is not expected to leave Milan and is healthily contracted even if he doesn’t agree to new terms, but that’s another goalkeeper Erik ten Hag rates. And I still wouldn’t rule out a Premier League club moving for Jordan Pickford, even though he’s signed a new deal until 2027 with no relegation clause in it. There is still an informal agreement if Everton go down that Pickford can leave. Spurs were always a frontrunner, but we’ll have to wait and see now what their new manager thinks.
Manchester United are in a healthy position, though. They can kind of have their cake and eat it: extend de Gea – who wants to stay – and explore the market for a new younger keeper at the same time.