Exclusive: Mauricio Pochettino’s Future Claim as Behdad Eghbali and Chelsea Sporting Directors Spotted Together
Mauricio Pochettino faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, so the higher-ups took a closer look at the Chelsea manager.
Behdad Eghbali, Laurence Stewart, and Paul Winstanley were spotted at the City Ground as Chelsea defeated Nottingham Forest 3-2. Nicolas Jackson led the Blues to victory on Saturday afternoon, tying them with Newcastle in the race for Europa League qualification.
With two games remaining, Chelsea is only ten goals ahead of Newcastle in sixth place. The west Londoners will face Brighton on Wednesday evening, while Eddie Howe’s side will play Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Then, on the season’s final day, Chelsea will host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge, while Newcastle will face Brentford at the G-Tech Community Stadium. After a slow start, the Blues appeared to be out of the race for European football.
As Chelsea struggled to climb the Premier League table, Mauricio Pochettino’s future remained uncertain. However, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager has been able to turn around his team’s fortunes in recent weeks, prompting the club’s decision-makers to investigate further.
Eghbali, Stewart, and Winstanley were all at the City Ground this weekend, putting a magnifying glass over Pochettino. When the cameras captured a picture of the trio, they appeared to be engaged in a debate.
The Blues’ co-owner was standing between his co-sporting directors, and whatever was said, Winstanley looked completely perplexed with a frown on his face. Nonetheless, speaking to reporters following his audition, Pochettino provided an update on his future.
Ahead of the game, the Chelsea manager appeared to question whether he’d still be in charge next season. Pochettino said, “I never said I wasn’t happy. I never said that. I said that I might not be happy, or I might be happy.
“But it’s normal, the headline. Sometimes too much honesty when I’m talking but it’s not a problem. I have one year more on my contract. Like I said yesterday, I’m thinking always in long-term, thinking that it’s going to be for life here. We are professional, we try to win games.
“We are trying to make the owners happy and the staff. I am responsible for all of the staff at the training ground in Cobham. I try to make the players happy and the fans. That is my job. Easy [laughs]. So easy.”
When asked if he believes Chelsea have finally turned a corner under his leadership, Pochettino replied, “You like to see all of the numbers and data. We were punished for the first ten games, not because of our performance, but because we did not take advantage of the opportunities we created.
“In these first 10 games, to have between four and eight points more, I think today we would be in a completely different position. If you count the game we played against Tottenham [in November], that was number 10, we have played 26 games [since] and if you start to count from there I think we would be in the top four of five, for sure, with some very good performances.
“That is not because you asked me but to assess the last 26 games, if you put all the circumstances in there and you analyse and assess this season, we are in a clear way going high. Finishing strong is our challenge now to try and achieve to be in Europe next season and start the next season strongly.”
Exclusive: Mauricio Pochettino’s Future Claim as Behdad Eghbali and Chelsea Sporting Directors Spotted Together
