Chelsea ‘looking at Pochettino replacements’ and retains interest in top manager’
CHELSEA are reportedly in the process of drawing up a list of replacements for Mauricio Pochettino following yesterday’s defeat in the Carabao Cup final.
And Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim remains in Todd Boehly’s sights.
2
The Blues were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Wembley thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute header.
Jurgen Klopp’s men emerged victorious, despite having a number of teenagers from the youth academy in the squad.
And Chelsea remain without a trophy under Boehly’s leadership, having spent £1 billion since taking over in 2022.
The American has already worked his way through three managers, first sacking Thomas Tuchel before moving on to Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.
But the Mail claims Boehly could make four more after starting to explore replacements for Pochettino.
And high on the list is Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim, who was a top candidate for the job last summer.
His Portuguese side are two points behind in the Primeira Liga with a game in hand.
And Amorim is one of several names on the shortlist to replace Pochettino if Chelsea decide to pull the trigger.
HOW TO GET FREE BETTS ON FOOTBALL
The Blues were expected to finish in the top four this season after spending eye-watering sums on stars such as Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku.
But Chelsea are 17 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
And by losing the final to Carabao, they even missed out on automatic qualification for the Europa Conference League.
Chelsea’s season now rests on the FA Cup, with the Blues facing Leeds on Wednesday.
Defeat in that match could prove disastrous for Pochettino, whose links with Spurs have already driven a wedge between him and the Chelsea supporters.
After losing to Liverpool, the Argentine urged his players to “feel the pain” of the result.
He said: “They have to feel the pain. We played for a trophy that we didn’t get. Now it’s the same, what can you tell me to feel better? Nothing.
“We are very competitive and now we have to move forward. She [the players] must feel the pain as we do.
“They have to realize that we have to work more and do better things. We have to improve and compete at this level against a team that has been competing for big things for the last five, six, seven years.
“It’s about arriving here first and then feeling what it means to play for a big trophy. I remember they (Liverpool) lost the Champions League after three, four years. [final]they lost the Europa League [final].
“They continue to believe in the project and in the next season [got] stronger until they got what they wanted.
“That’s a good example, Liverpool. We want to challenge a team like Liverpool. [We should not be] frustrated today because we didn’t get the trophy. We have to keep believing, because that is the most important thing.”