EPL: Pochettino tells Chelsea to agree senior man hire before he signs contract

Mauricio Pochettino is pushing Chelsea to hire Paul Mitchell before his appointment at Stamford Bridge is finalised,

The 51-year-old is in advanced talks with the Blues and is in line to be named the club’s new manager imminently.

Football Insider sources revealed on Monday (8 May) that Pochettino’s appointment at Chelsea will be confirmed by the end of the week.

But before finalising the deal, the Argentine coach is pushing the Chelsea board to secure him a top-class backroom team and management setup that gives him the best chance of succeeding.

Pochettino is eager to add Mitchell to his backroom staff at Stamford Bridge as he believes he can offer something different to Chelsea’s existing recruitment team.

Mitchell is currently employed as a sporting director at AS Monaco, but he has announced that he will leave his post at the end of the season to pursue a new project.

It is understood that he is excited by a potential Premier League return and a reunion with Pochettino at an elite club.

The duo first worked together at Southampton, with Mitchell becoming the club’s Head of Recruitment in 2012 – one year before Pochettino was appointed manager.

After Pochettino was hired by Tottenham in 2014, Mitchell also completed a move to North London where he was responsible for signings such as Son Heung-Min, Kieran Trippier and Dele Alli.

Tottenham
Mitchell joined German giants RB Leipzig in 2018 and then made the switch to France to become sporting director at Monaco in 2020.

It is understood that the Chelsea hierarchy are working behind the scenes to create a position for Mitchell so that he can work alongside Pochettino at Stamford Bridge