I could quit Chelsea in crunch talks, says Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino admits he could quit Chelsea at the end of the season if he feels he and the club are not moving in the right direction.

Pochettino has been under constant scrutiny since his appointment last summer. The five-time Premier League champions have been in mid-table for most of the season and now sit 13 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa despite having spent more than £1 billion on their squad.

Pochettino will meet the club’s decision- makers after the final game of the campaign against Bournemouth a week tomorrow.

The 52-year- old expects to stay on but says it would not be the end of the world if there was a parting of the ways. He said: “If we are happy, perfect. But it’s not only if the owner is happy, or the sporting directors are happy. If we are happy, we need to ask also, because maybe we say we are not happy.

“If we assess the situation and we are not happy, we need to split. But it’s not going to be the first time that a coaching staff decides at the end of a season not to keep going. But at this stage, it goes in the opposite way. They can say tomorrow, ‘stay here’. Or maybe tomorrow I can say I want to leave. It’s two parties that can make a decision.

“I’m not saying that I am not happy. But always it’s from one side, but OK, maybe there’s another side. Maybe if we leave here, it’s not a problem, it’s not going to be the end of the world.”

Pochettino said constant speculation about his future did not concern him, but admitted it would be helpful for those working with him to be given some reassurances.

He said: “You need to kill the rumours if that’s not true; if not the rumour is there for a different strategy.”