Mauricio Pochettino has already hinted he would reject Chelsea job
Graham Potter reviews Chelsea’s defeat at Spurs
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Chelsea may be forced to cross Mauricio Pochettino off their list of potential replacements for Graham Potter if the 47-year-old is sacked by the Blues in the not-too-distant future. The west Londoners are currently well adrift of the Premier League’s top four by a margin of 14 points, with their dire recent form piling the pressure on Potter to turn things around in order to cling onto his job after only a few months in charge of the club.
The former Brighton boss is expected to retain the backing of Chelsea’s hierarchy for at least another two matches, although successive defeats to Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund could reportedly see Potter pay the price if Todd Boehly finally loses patience with his man. It has been claimed that several managers have already been offered to the Blues amid the uncertainty over Potter’s immediate future, but it seems as though Pochettino will not be in the running despite being tentatively linked with the potential vacancy in recent days.
The former Tottenham boss has previously ruled out the possibility of ever managing Arsenal due to his links with the white half of north London, which suggests that he would also snub a move to Chelsea given the cross-city tensions between the Blues and Spurs.
“I am so clear I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol,” said Pochettino during his final months in north London.
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“It’s not down to me. Always I work like I want to be here for the rest of my life. That is my responsibility, how I take my job. The way I work is like thinking I’m going to stay forever in the same club. It’s the best way to commit to your job.”
It remains to be seen which candidates would be in the frame to take over at Chelsea if Potter is relieved of his duties over the coming weeks, with the former Swansea City and Ostersunds boss seemingly on thin ice as things stand. He acknowledged the pressure hanging over his head in the aftermath of Chelsea’s defeat to Tottenham on Sunday but pointed to Mikel Arteta’s success at Arsenal as an example of why it sometimes pays off to give managers time.
“While results are what they are, I accept it, it’s part of the job,” said Potter when quizzed on the speculation about his future at Stamford Bridge. “We were talking before the game about watching the Arsenal All or Nothing and two years into Mikel’s reign he is close to getting the sack and people want him out.
“It was seen as a disaster but things have now changed a bit. If you look at Jurgen [Klopp’s] situation, they haven’t got the results and all of a sudden people want him out. That is the nature of football. I haven’t done enough at this club to have too much good faith, I also accept that.”
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