Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino remained non-committal regarding speculation about his future with the club after securing a European place at the end of a challenging season.
Despite numerous hurdles, Pochettino managed to lead Chelsea to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, following a crucial 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on the final day of the campaign.
Chelsea’s late surge in form secured their position just below London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who clinched fifth place and a Europa League spot by defeating Sheffield United.
The fate of Chelsea’s European campaign hinges on the outcome of the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United. A victory for City would see Chelsea join Spurs in the Europa League, while a win for United would slot the Blues into the UEFA Conference League.
Mauricio Pochettino on his future at Chelsea
After the match, Pochettino faced questions regarding a rumoured review of his performance by Chelsea’s Todd Boehly-led board. Pochettino, who is no stranger to the intense scrutiny that comes with managing a top Premier League club, offered a measured response.
“I don’t know if that’s going to happen or not,” he said, via Talk Chelsea on X. “I can only tell you that on Friday night Todd invited me for dinner and we had a very nice dinner together. But I don’t know about the rumours or the review or stuff like that.”
When pressed further about whether the dinner with Boehly could be interpreted as a positive sign for his future at the club, Pochettino was careful not to commit to a definitive answer. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he stated.
However, he did add, “If I invite you alone and we have dinner, it’s not for a bad thing – I don’t believe that. If I need to tell something, I call by phone and say to go for a coffee, not for dinner.”
Chelsea should not make a managerial change just yet
The coming weeks will likely shed more light on Pochettino’s future as Chelsea’s head coach. But, for me, this should not even be a question. The Argentine manager has had to deal with a tricky transition campaign.
In the midst of all the big spending, fans forget that the club have had to gel a young squad pretty quickly. Additionally, they have battled most of the season without one of their marquee signings: Christopher Nkunku.
At the very least Pochettino deserves until October to show what he can do with this Chelsea team.