Still not officially official yet, but Mauricio Pochettino is set to become the next manager of Chelsea FC. An announcement is expected soon, possibly within the next day or two. When he does take over, a lot of transfer dominoes will naturally fall. That goes without saying actually. N’Golo Kante could be the first one.
The extremely injury prone midfielder is out of contract this summer, but negotiations are ongoing.
? BREAKING: #Chelsea are close to confirming the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager.
He will take over from Frank Lampard at the end of the season. #CFC
Via @talkSPORT pic.twitter.com/KUqJwocvz9
— Chelsea Express (@Chels_Express1) May 9, 2023
The arrival of Pochettino should be enough to seal the deal on a Kante contract extension, according to a report today in The Telegraph.
The article states specifically: “Kanté and Chelsea have been negotiating over the finer details of the deal over recent weeks, with the club remaining optimistic that an agreement will be reached. The arrival of Pochettino may well help to clinch that agreement.”
The 32-year-old Frenchman became Chelsea’s highest paid player when he signed his current deal, which paid him around £300,000-a-week.
That sum has since been eclipsed by two massive flops in the forward position group- Raheem Sterling and Romelu Lukaku.
Kante, when healthy, is still a world class player when he gets regular first team football and finds a rhythm. He has a PFA Player of the Year award on his CV for a reason, and not many individual footballers can say that.
? Chelsea’s decision to offer Mauricio Pochettino the permanent head coach job could help get N’Golo Kanté’s proposed contract renewal over the line.
Sources have told Telegraph Sport that the Argentine and Kanté share a mutual appreciation for one another.#CFC… pic.twitter.com/VJvckSFuJ1
— Chelsea Dodgers (@TheBlueDodger) May 9, 2023
A summer clear out is coming to Chelsea, and it remains to be seen who will stay and who will leave, but it is for certain that this currently over-bloated in size roster will see some trimming.
Christian Pulisic is another player that Pochettino is reportedly a fan of, and the Argentine is said to be keen on the American staying put. Although that wouldn’t really be good for Pulisic, given how he has been treated at the club thus far, especially so under Frank Lampard.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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