Chelsea refuse to make early decision on Pochettino’s future

Chelsea are sticking to their guns and will not make an early decision regarding the future of manager Mauricio Pochettino. 

According to The Telegraph, the Blues have decided to wait until the end of the season to hold an end-of-the-season review before deciding on Pochettino.

The review is likely to include sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. Members of the co-ownership team of Behdad Eghbali, Todd Boehly and Jose E Feliciano should also be present.

The review is expected to take place in the days after the AFC Bournemouth game.

Pochettino has come under criticism as the Blues struggled for most of the season, with fans booing the team on multiple occasions. 

The lowest of lows came when Chelsea suffered a 5-0 mullering at the hands of London rivals weeks ago.

However, Chelsea are not jumping the gun and prefer to wait till the season is done and dusted. The West Londoners still have three games before the end of the campaign. 

Chelsea climbed to seventh on the Premier League table following wins over Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. 

They could seal a place in the Europa League or Europa Conference League, which might affect the outlook on Pochettino’s tenure.

Interestingly, per the report, if Chelsea get a place in Europe, they have no plans to give up on their return.

UEFA’s new football earnings rule allows a maximum loss of €40 million over two seasons. It is much tighter than the Premier League’s £105 million over three. Chelsea suffered an £89.8 million loss, and it will raise red flags with UEFA.  Still, Chelsea want to compete in Europe.

The upcoming end-of-season review will be pivotal for both Pochettino and Chelsea.  

Pochettino must convince the board that the team’s struggles were teething problems and that he can lead them to success next season.  

Chelsea, on the other hand, need to weigh Pochettino’s performance against the circumstances. They must take into account the injury situation and poor squad building by the sporting directors.