Pochettino ready for talks about future
Mauricio Pochettino is ready to open talks over who Chelsea should retain next season.
Players and staff will be fighting for their futures in the final part of the campaign, and the head coach has insisted everyone will be on trial from the top down, including himself.
Gary Neville branded Chelsea the “billion-pound bottle jobs” after losing the Carabao Cup final, but Pochettino saw character on Saturday when his players fought back from two goals down to earn a draw at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa.
He expects the final five games of the season to shape summer plans. While co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have gone cold on communication with Pochettino, the manager remains open to discussions over players, although nothing has been scheduled yet.
“Yes, of course. We need to assess the players and project for the future,” Pochettino said. “But, of course, the owners, the sporting director and us, we will need to talk. We are open to talk.”
Chelsea players looked motivated at Villa Park during their stunning comeback. Noni Madueke was their most dangerous threat and pulled a goal back before Conor Gallagher equalised.
“We are still on a journey to keep improving and nowhere near where we want to be as a club,” Gallagher said. The midfielder has captained Chelsea this season and embodied the fighting spirit at Villa. However, he is entering the final year of his contract and would represent pure profit if sold after coming through the academy.
Decisions such as Gallagher’s future will be important when the window opens. Pochettino has called his squad immature at times this season, but there have been hints of more togetherness.
Moises Caicedo had one of his better games at Villa, while Cole Palmer’s emergence gives Chelsea someone to build their attack around. “Not only Moi, the whole team was good,” Pochettino said. “They showed good character.”
Pochettino has talked about the squad needing improvement despite the huge spend in the Boehly-eghbali era. Thiago Silva limped off and is out of contract at the end of the season. Nicolas Jackson put in a good performance, but his confidence in front of goal has gone and he hit a post with his clearest opportunity.
A decision will also be made on the head coach himself. It is a manager’s market this summer – Sporting coach Ruben Amorim is tipped to join a big club, while Roberto De Zerbi has shown how quickly he can implement his style on a squad during his time at Brighton.
Marc Cucurella insists Pochettino has the backing of players. “He has helped a lot of us, he has good communication and the team supports him,” the full-back said.