Chelsea now eyeing Mauricio Pochettino to replace Lampard

Chelsea Football Club has made contact with former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Mauricio Pochettino in the past few days about replacing caretaker manager Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge, according to Romano Fabrizio, a transfer expert, in a tweet on Thursday.

It is the first direct approach Chelsea has made to the Argentinean coach since he was on the list last summer. Fabrizio also revealed that no progress has been made yet in the talks, and that former RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann remains the favourite.

Chelsea has been searching for a permanent manager since the club recently sacked Graham Potter and temporarily appointed Lampard to take charge of the first team until the end of the season.

Mauricio Pochettino, who played for PSG in the 2001/02 season, led the club to the final of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League, where they lost to Bayern Munich.

He was sacked by the French club in January 2021, only six months after he took charge of the team. Prior to his stint at PSG, Pochettino managed Tottenham Hotspur for five and a half years, leading the club to the final of the 2018/19 Champions League.