Mauricio Pochettino turns down Chelsea approach to replace Graham Potter

Mauricio Pochettino has turned down an initial approach to replace Graham Potter at Chelsea, sources have told 90min.

Chelsea boss Potter is under increasing pressure at Stamford Bridge after winning just one fixture in 2023, with the club sitting tenth in the Premier League table after 23 matches.

They are 11 points outside the Champions League places and have won only eight league games all season, despite a squad investment of around £600m since a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital Group took over the club last year.

Potter was appointed as successor to Champions League winning coach Thomas Tuchel in September, and Boehly has been staunchly backing the man he appointed since despite the failure to turn around on pitch performance and results.

However, 90min understands that some within Chelsea’s hierarchy have huge concerns about the club’s form and do not share the same belief as Boehly that Potter can turn the club around.

Boehly is also believed to have been considering whether Potter does need replacing, but one thing he is unwilling to do is proceed with changes before a plan is already in place.

90min now understands that appointing Pochettino was an option being considered by Chelsea at the highest levels. However, initial, yet serious, enquiries suggest the former Tottenham Hotspur boss is not ready to take up the challenge at Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino is open to return to management, but it’s understood any move he does choose to make must be under the right conditions. Sources indicate that Chelsea are not ticking the boxes for the Argentinian at present.

Pochettino was last in work at Paris Saint Germain in 2022, winning Ligue 1, and is believed to have a return to football on his mind.

He confirmed at the end of last year that he was keen on working in England again.

“I miss the Premier League. I am really open. I love England and I am living between London and Barcelona, but more in London,” he said. “My house, my home. I love to be in England. The Premier League is the best league in the world. It’s so competitive.”