CHELSEA are close to announcing Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager – but the former Argentina defender will not start till next season.
The former Spurs boss, 51, has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last campaign.
Frank Lampard will remain in charge for the rest of the season, with Poch looking to hit the ground running next term.
The Blues legend has warned Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly not to make the same mistakes as Roman Abramovich — and to stick with his next boss.
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- Alex Smith
Havertz labels squad "gigantic"
Kai Havertz has called the Chelsea squad "gigantic".
He told Kicker: "We had a good spell under Graham Potter, but after the World Cup finals we didn't play well and we dropped a lot of points.
"Lots of new players came in during the winter transfer window, and we now have a gigantic squad.
"But they first need to feel comfortable at the club before they can show their qualities.
"It is easy to find excuses. I am no fan of putting all the blame on to others.
"In the end we are all professional footballers, and we just need to win a game."
Credit: Getty - Alex Smith
"Everything has gone wrong"
Kai Havertz has seemingly hit out at Todd Boehly for sacking Thomas Tuchel and claimed everything at Chelsea has gone wrong this year.
Havertz said to Kicker: "Everything that can go wrong went wrong for us this year.
"We had a chance of ownership which was a big change.
"Then Tuchel was fired, which of course always makes a difference in a team like this when you've been successful with a coach and he gets fired out of nowhere."
- Alex Smith
Matic's managerial hopes
Former Man Utd and Chelsea star Nemanja Matic has goals to become a manager in the future.
The midfielder currently at Roma said to Sky Sports: "I have already decided that I will be a manager one day. I am in the process of getting my coaching license, but for now I am focusing on football.
"I feel good, fresh. But it sure, I will be a manager in the Premier League."
- Alex Smith
Poch lays out demands
Mauricio Pochettino is in the process of laying out his demands to Chelsea as they look to finalise a deal.
The ex-Spurs and PSG boss is reportedly negotiating without an agent in Los Angeles.
He wants to bring four coaches with him to the club and be able to make key decisions on the direction Chelsea goes in.
- Alex Smith
Kenyon rubbishes Shevchenko claims
Ex-Chelsea chief Peter Kenyon has rubbished claims from Jose Mourinho that the signing of Andriy Shevchenko was made by the club not him.
The Ukrainian star was signed from AC Milan for £30.8m in 2006, but his time in the Premier League did not go as planned as he netted just nine league goals.
Mourinho claimed that the player was not his choice, Kenyon states however: "There was this story that Shevchenko was not a player that Jose wanted. This is rubbish."
Frank Lampard said how the move led to tension between the manager and the club with Shevchenko not performing well.
Credit: PA:Press Association - Alex Smith
Inside Mourinho unravelling
Ex-Chelsea chief Peter Kenyon has opened up about the time Jose Mourinho's first stint as Chelsea came to an end.
The boss left in the 2007/08 season as his relationship with the club became difficult.
Kenyon told Paramount's Fever Pitch documentary that Mourinho didn't like director Avram Grant sitting on the bench during games.
Kenyon said: "The feeling in the club was that it was unravelling a bit. It was unravelling because Jose was unravelling a bit.
"I think people saw that [Grant sitting in the dugout] as undermining the manager but it was never that. It didn't take power away from the coach. But I don't think Jose felt it was needed."
Meanwhile, Grant said: "I saw that things became very nervous and that Jose became very nervous. I think for the first time in his life things didn't go like he wanted them to go."
Grant eventually took over from Mourinho after he left.
- Alex Smith
Lampard warns Boehly
Frank Lampard warned Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly not to make the same mistakes as Roman Abramovich — and to stick with his next boss.
Caretaker Lampard believes the old system of hiring and firing stopped him winning more trophies during his playing career.
“I was always part of the Chelsea team that changed managers regularly.
With hindsight, it is easy to say I had great success. I won three titles but I should have won five or six. That’s my feeling.
“We might have won more titles if we’d had more consistency and been able to work in one direction. And I feel like we should have.
“Arsenal had quite a few years of not getting what they wanted, so they decided we are going to stick with this and maybe get it to work.
“Everyone has different pressures, so I don’t think you can say that the next manager should be here for five years because within that Chelsea need to have successes.
“But in an ideal world, the next manager would bring more stability.”
- Alex Smith
Dybala offered to Chelsea
Roma star Paulo Dybala has been offered to Chelsea in a cut-price deal.
When the attacker signed for Jose Mourinho's side for free prior to the start of this season, a number of releases clauses were reportedly agreed to become active after one year.
90min claim a fee of £10.5m is enough for a non-Serie A club to bid for him, while Italian sides will have to pay £17.5m.
The likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham have been informed of his availability.
Despite the cheap fee, Dybala is likely to demand high wages and he has to want the transfer himself.
- Alex Smith
Wright backs Poch
Ian Wright believes that Mauricio Pochettino is the right man to fire Chelsea back up the league table next season.
The pundit said: "Can you imagine, if Pochettino went to Chelsea, with the young players he has got and the fact that he is so good with that kind of player?
"The way he can manage that situation, with young players and with Harry Kane. That’s scary. That could be scary for someone."
- Alex Smith
Mount wanted by Arsenal?
Chelsea star Mason Mount could move across London and join Arsenal with his contract expiring at his boyhood club at the end of next season.
The player and Todd Boehly are no closer to agreeing an extension and top clubs are circling.
GiveMeSport say that Arsenal are now in the race.
Reporter Paul Brown claims: “I’m pretty sure Mount is already considering a move to Arsenal.
“He knows the clubs that are interested in him, Arsenal are one of those.
“There are others who are a bit further down the line in terms of talks and what’s been put on the table.
“I think Arsenal would be another attractive club for Mount.”
Liverpool and Newcastle have also been linked with moves for the 24-year-old.
Credit: Getty - Alex Smith
Lampard compares Arsenal to Chelsea
Ahead of tonight's game, Frank Lampard believes that the tough moment Chelsea are in is part of the process and highlights Arsenal's struggles in previous seasons when comparing.
He said: “I think it's interesting to compare the Arsenal story with ours. We all had a little insight into Arsenal and how they operate through the Amazon series and I think what you see is that there's a long process to get to where you want to.
“I remember playing Mikel's early teams and sometimes it was a five [at the back], sometimes a four – now you see they have a very clear identity in the way they play and a strong vision in terms of recruitment and the profile of player.
“If we talk about it as just this season in isolation, I think you have to go back to the tougher periods.
"Do we have the possibility to do that here at Chelsea? Yes. Will it take time and through good decisions along the way? Absolutely yes.”
- Alex Smith
Poch to end Boehly team talks
Imminent Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino wants to put a stop to Todd Boehly entering the dressing room.
The owner reportedly regularly heads to the area before and after matches and unleashed a rant at his squad after a loss to Brighton a few weeks ago.
Reports suggest that if Pochettino becomes manager next season, he wants Boehly and Behdad Eghbali to stop interfering in team talks.
- Alex Smith
Sven makes shock Abramovich claim
Ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson claims he told Roman Abramovich in a nightclub to buy Chelsea and not Tottenham because he had a desire to win.
The Russian oligarch bought the Blues in 2003 and pumped money in which led to two Champions League wins before being forced to sell to Todd Boehly due to his ties with Vladimir Putin in 2022.
In a documentary by Paramount named Fever Pitch, Eriksson says he influenced who Abramovich purchased.
He says: "He wanted me to give advice on which club to buy, Chelsea or Tottenham.
"So I asked him: "What do you want to do with the club?
"And I said to him "If you want to win, Chelsea, because you only need to buy half a team.
"Then, I think within 24 hours… (he bought them)."
- Alex Smith
Lampard admits lack of confidence
Frank Lampard has conceded that his team are suffering from a lack of confidence after a run of no wins in their last eight outings.
They have also scored just once in seven matches.
Lampard said: "They're low on confidence and low on performance.
"I've been here in periods where confidence is low. In history we managed to get it back through hard work, level of the squad, we changed managers a lot.
"It's different now in terms of the modern player and what expectations are.
"You shouldn't be talking about team confidence but it's clearly an issue at the minute.”
- Alex Smith
Arsenal vs Chelsea: Tonight
Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium tonight as the Gunners look to move back to the summit of the Premier League.
A win over their London rivals would mean they leapfrog Man City and move two clear of them.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side would then have two games in hand to grab their lead back.
William Saliba is set to miss another game due to a back injury with Mikel Arteta conceding his condition has not improved.
As for the Blues, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz are both fit.
But, Marc Cucurella, Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly and Mason Mount are out.
Credit: Getty
- Gary Stonehouse
MORNING BLUES
Chelsea return to action this evening against bitter rivals Arsenal looking to end a five-game losing run.
The Blues are currently winless in their last eight games in all competitions.
Frank Lampard and Co have just six games of a torrid campaign left to play.
And Opta’s Supercomputer has given the Blues just an 11.4 per cent chance of even finishing in the top ten of the Premier League this season.
Elsewhere, members of Chelsea’s academy staff could reportedly quit the club if a number of homegrown stars are sold this summer.
The Blues are set to undergo a firesale, which could include Mason Mount, as owner Todd Boehly looks to trim his inflated squad.
But The Times say members of Chelsea's academy staff could quit if a number of academy talents are sold.
Jose Mourinho reportedly snubbed the chance to become Blues boss for a third time.
He was supposedly contacted but wanted to remain fully focused on seeing out the season with Roma.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Mourinho was on the list of potentials for Chelsea, but his long-term future at Roma remains uncertain despite his loyalty.
- Giacomo Pisa
Arteta issues Aubameyang plea
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants Gunners fans to welcome former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the Emirates during tonight's game against Chelsea.
Aubameyang had his Arsenal contract terminated before joining Barcelona, and then moving on to the Blues last summer.
Tonight's clash will be his first return to the Emirates since leaving the club.
Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta said: “Let’s say thank you, pay respect and gratitude for what he was.
“He was an incredible player for us, scored a lot of goals, he was our captain, and he deserves that.”
- Giacomo Pisa
Lampard on player development
Chelsea caretaker boss Frank Lampard has revealed he cannot develop the club's star-studded squad in the short time he is at the club.
Lampard admitted: "It’s clear it’s a very difficult moment for (all the players).
"Wherever you want to lay the responsibility for that, it doesn’t really matter to me in the short period.
"Some things are quite good about being interim: this is what it is, I can try and do as well as I can in this period.
"Other things you kind of go: ‘ok, of course this is longer term’. To develop a player in five weeks, from one thing to the finished article, is not going to happen.
"You also need the player to be of a level where they are going to produce."
- Giacomo Pisa
Kepa on learning from other sports
When Kepa Arrizabalaga isn't keeping net for Chelsea, the Spaniard is often found watching motorsports.
And he even compares F1 and MotoGP to his own game.
Kepa told Chelsea's website: "I like Formula 1, MotoGP. I like motorbikes a lot. I closely watch how they manage high-pressure situations.
"A goalkeeper plays in a team but there are several times in which you are alone, and you need to have the mental strength to overcome certain moments and situations.
"So I like to see how Formula 1 teams work, the strategies they use, how they face a breakdown, a mechanical failure, how they plan the following laps if they register better or worse lap times.
"In the end they are people whose hearts are racing and who must make decisions in that state, which I find very difficult – even more so if we take into account the emotions and the speed at which they are driving.
"I like those sports a lot and I find them quite interesting."
- Giacomo Pisa
More from Lampard on Aubameyang
Frank Lampard hinted that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's "past with Arsenal" could have an impact on his team selection.
Aubameyang is set to return to the Emirates with Chelsea tomorrow.
And Lampard said: "Possibly Auba’s past with Arsenal might come into my thinking, because we all think a player going back to their old club gives a certain motivation.
"I haven’t delved into that too much with Auba himself, so I’ll pick that position on my feeling of how we’ve trained and what the team structure looks like."
- Giacomo Pisa
Chelsea fans, look away
Here's another unwelcome stat from Opta's Supercomputer.
The Blues have just an 11.4 per cent chance of even finishing in the top ten of the Premier League this season.
Chelsea are currently 12th in the table, but have played two games fewer than Crystal Palace, who are 11th.
The Supercomputer has 11th as the most likely position the Blues will finish, with a 36.9 per cent chance, or a 32.5 per cent chance of finishing 12th.
But a top half finish looks unlikely.
- Giacomo Pisa
Supercomputer predicts defeat
Opta's Supercomputer has predicted Frank Lampard's losing start as Chelsea caretaker boss to continue against the Gunners.
It has given the Blues a 27.8 per cent chance of victory at Arsenal tomorrow night.
The Gunners meanwhile are heavy favourites, with a 43.7 per cent chance of claiming all three points.
- Giacomo Pisa
Auba set for Arsenal reunion?
Chelsea caretaker boss Frank Lampard suggested ex-Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be involved against his former employers tomorrow.
The 33-year-old was lively after coming off the bench at half-time in last week's 2-0 defeat against Brentford.
He has started just four Premier League games this season.
And while Lampard did not give away his team selection, he revealed Aubameyang is “fit and ready” to play at the Emirates.
When asked about Aubameyang’s involvement, Lampard said: We’ll see, I’ve got Auba, I’ve got Kai [Havertz], I’ve got David [Datro] Fofana. I won’t divulge the team right here. He’s fit and ready.”
- Giacomo Pisa
O'Hara worried about Kane
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara is "worried" that Spurs could lose Harry Kane to bitter rivals Chelsea.
Kane is out of contract at the end of next season.
Speaking on the striker's future, O'Hara said on talkSPORT: “I think he’s going to be on his way out eventually — the man’s a world-class player.
“He’s got a year left on his contract. The biggest thing I’m worried about is Chelsea. Because Todd Boehly has got money to burn, he’ll throw anything at it.
“I think he’s bringing in Pochettino because Pochettino believes he can get Kane out of Tottenham.
“We’ve all said, ‘There’s no way he’s going to Chelsea’, but his family doesn’t want to move from London — he’s settled in London.
“Chelsea will happily pay £150million to Daniel Levy if they can get Kane.
“I think Pochettino’s going to be on the phone with him in the summer.”
- Giacomo Pisa
Jody Morris sacked by Swindon
Former Chelsea coach Jody Morris has been sacked by League Two side Swindon Town.
The 44-year-old took over as boss just four months ago, but won just four out of his 18 games in charge.
The Robins are 10th in League Two going into the final day but cannot make it into the play-offs.
Morris' assistant, Ed Brand, has also left the club.
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