Just a short trip across London
It’s looking increasingly likely that this weekend’s FA Cup final will be Antonio Conte’s final game as Chelsea boss and, if that is the case, Blues owner Roman Abramovich is eager to replace the Italian with in-demand Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Sky Sports report that Chelsea are considering an approach for Pochettino if, as expected, Conte moves on this summer.
Luis Enrique and Maurizio Sarri are currently front-runners to replace Conte at Stamford Bridge but, given his experience in the Premier League, Pochettino is emerging as one of the preferred candidates for Abramovich.
The Argentine has guided Spurs to three consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League and as each season passes under Pochettino, the North London club look better placed at competing against top European sides.
It’s been suggested that Pochettino would flourish at a club with a larger budget than Spurs’ and he has previously been linked with moves to Manchester United and Real Madrid.
The 46-year-old has three years remaining on his current contract and is expected to hold talks with club chairman Daniel Levy this summer amid doubts about transfer ambition.
“We need to talk a lot between us and the club,” Pochettino said after Spurs’ season came to an end with a thrilling 5-4 victory over Leicester on Sunday.
“I think I have a very clear idea what we need to do; I don’t know if the club will be agreeing with me or not.
“But we are going to talk, next week, to create the new project, or what I think what we need to do, together again, to try to improve.
“That is a little bit up to Daniel of course, to the club, to be happy with us, because after four years I think we need to assess that period.
“If we want to play and be real contenders for big, big trophies, yes, we need to review a little.
“First of all I need to speak with Daniel, then we will know what we are going to do. Until today it was so difficult to talk about the future.
“I think Daniel is going to listen to me. But you know me and sometimes I have some crazy ideas.
“But you need to be brave. In this type of situation, with a club with our unbelievable fans, being brave is the most important, and to take risks.
“I think it’s a moment the club needs to take risks and if possible work harder than the previous season to be competitive again.”
