Mauricio Pochettino may have just been given a lifeline at Chelsea despite speculation that he could be sacked by Todd Boehly in the summer. The former Tottenham boss has endured an inconsistent debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea suffering another trophyless season.
Chelsea’s poor results have fuelled rumours that Pochettino could be relieved of his duties before the start of his second season in charge. However, it seems that a lack of better alternatives could see the Argentine stay on despite failing to guide Chelsea back to the Premier League’s upper reaches.
Thomas Tuchel, who was the last manager to win the Champions League at Chelsea, has been linked with a potential return to the Blues next season. He fuelled speculation over a possible move back to Stamford Bridge earlier this month, admitting: “It is no secret that I loved it at Chelsea. I loved it in England and I loved it in the Premier League for sure.”
Tuchel is widely expected to leave Bayern Munich in the summer after they failed to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 12 years. However, it has been reported by Bild that he could end up staying after Bayern were turned down by Ralf Rangnick, Oliver Glasner, Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann.
If Bayern decide to keep Tuchel for another season, it could increase the likelihood of Pochettino staying at Chelsea for the foreseeable future. There are not a great deal of alternative options when it comes to top-class managers who could be on the move this summer.
A handful of other bosses have been linked with the Chelsea job in recent weeks, including the likes of Sporting manager Ruben Amorim and Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi. However, neither of them have managed at truly elite clubs and there is no guarantee they would fare any better than Pochettino.
