Mauricio Pochettino told what he'll get at Chelsea that Graham Potter never did

08 June 2023 , 12:12

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Mauricio Pochettino told what he'll get at Chelsea that Graham Potter never did

Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes Mauricio Pochettino will be given the time to get things right at Stamford Bridge - even though Graham Potter was brutally sacked after just six months by the current regime.

Pochettino, 50, was confirmed as the Blues' new head coach last month and will be tasked with turning around the fortunes of a side that limped to the club's worst-ever finish in the Premier League era.

With a bloated squad full of talent, Pochettino will have to cut down on numbers before bringing in his own targets and has his work cut out for him. He can, at least, expect backing from owner Todd Boehly, who has spent over £600million in transfer fees since acquiring the club alongside Clearlake Capital last May.

And Johnson, who spent four years on the books at Stamford Bridge during his own playing career, reckons Boehly will also give Pochettino plenty of time to make his mark: something that was not afforded to Potter.

Johnson, who was speaking to Neue Online Casinos, said: "Unlike Graham Potter, I think Pochettino will be given time. The nature of his name will demand time. He’s a big character and would have made it clear in negotiations that he needed time. There will be no point in him going in with a long-term plan if they then sack him after a couple of months.

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"There are not many managers who will get these Chelsea players doing what they want in the first few months. I think they would have learnt from sacking Potter, and will therefore give Pochettino time."

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Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes Mauricio Pochettino will be given time to make things work at Stamford Bridge (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Although Pochettino will not be short of quality players when he officially gets to work at the start of next month, the former Tottenham chief will be eager to bring in his own targets ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

And Johnson believes that the highly-rated Argentina faces a delicate balancing act in the transfer market, with the Blues ready to offload a whole raft of squad players for the right price over the coming weeks in order to meet Financial Fair Play regulations.

He continued: "Mauricio Pochettino will have to steady the ship at Chelsea. He’s walking into a good squad, however, he’ll have to work out what he is working with because they signed a lot of players that he did not sign. It will be about working out which players fit into his style of play and offloading those who don’t. He will then need to bring in a few players who he knows will fit his system.

"He’s a proven good manager walking into a good dressing room. He will just have a lot of work to do in terms of working out what he needs and what he doesn’t."

Dan Marsh