Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to take over as the new manager of Chelsea, according to reports.
The Argentine former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager has agreed terms with the Stamford Bridge club after lengthy negotiations, according to media sources on Sunday.
The 51-year-old will join the club this summer at the end of the Premier League season, taking the reins from interim manager Frank Lampard.
Pochettino, who also manager Southampton, has been out of a job since last summer when PSG brought Christophe Galtier in to replace him.
He will become Chelsea's sixth permanent manager in five years. The club, who sit 11th in the Premier League table, were taken over by American Ted Boehly's consortium for £4.25 billion in May last year.
Since their takeover, they have sacked Thomas Tuchel in September and his replacement Graham Potter last month just seven months into his five-year contract.
Chelsea have had a difficult season as they lie in mid-table in the Premier League and were knocked out of both the League Cup and the FA Cup in the third round, despite spending around €600m in the past two transfer windows.
They also lost to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Lampard, who previously managed the club from 2019-21, was brought in as caretaker manager after Potter's dismissal but the team’s struggles have continued.
Pochettino led Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019 before being sacked later that year. He took over at PSG in January 2021, winning the French Super Cup, the Coupe de France and the Ligue 1 during his tenure before he was sacked last summer.
Chelsea 0 Real Madrid 2: player ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6. The Spaniard probably predicted a much busier night, and though he conceded twice, he could do little about either goal. EPA -
Wesley Fofana – 6. Had the undesirable task of monitoring Vinicius Jr, which he did well for most of the game and, at times, got forward to provide the overlap on the wing for Chelsea’s attacks. Getty -
Thiago Silva – 6. Composed in defence, and his experience was needed to give Chelsea a chance. Handled his duties well. AP -
Trevoh Chalobah – 5. Came into the starting line-up for Koulibaly, who was injured in the first leg, and headed away a dangerous free-kick from the Chelsea box. Was beaten down the left wing by Rodrygo for the goal that killed the tie. AP -
Reece James – 7. Chelsea’s most promising player, who waved off a hamstring concern midway through. Looked up for the task of closing down players and getting forward on the wing early on, and swung in a promising cross into the box inside 10 minutes that Kante hit wide. Denied an effort from distance by Militao. Booked. AFP -
Enzo Fernandez – 6. Needed to do better with a free-kick into the box in the first half from a promising position. Later, he hit a low strike from distance wide of Courtois’s goal before he fired a powerful shot that the Real Madrid goalkeeper was equal to. AP -
N’Golo Kante – 7. Should have scored the opening goal for the Blues to kickstart the comeback but was unable to find the target when his shot went wide. Seemed to take up the task of causing problems on the right wing when James was in trouble. Getty -
Mateo Kovacic – 6. The Croatian battled it out in midfield with Kroos but ultimately didn’t have an impact on the game. AP -
Marc Cucurella – 5. Replaced the suspended Ben Chilwell. Booked for a foul on Rodrygo. Denied on the stroke of half-time after he hesitated when James’s cross fell to him, giving Courtois time to deny the shot. Reuters -
Conor Gallagher – 6. Handed a surprise start in a packed midfield, sitting behind Havertz. He found himself in all the right places but was unable to get the vital touch to trouble Real Madrid. AFP -
Kai Havertz – 5. Finally had an effort in the second half when he was put through on goal, but Courtois was able to save comfortably. Getty -
SUBS: Raheem Sterling (Fernandez 67’) – 6. Dropped to the bench and made an immediate impact on his return but was often loose in possession. EPA -
Joao Felix (Gallagher 67’) – 6. Nutmegged Militao with a storming run into the final third but the Atletico Madrid loanee could only find the feet of Camavinga. AFP -
Mykhailo Mudryk (Cucurella 68’) – 6. Superb defensively to support Chalobah and diminish Vinicius Jr’s threat, but struggled to find the target at the other end of the pitch. Booked. Reuters -
Mason Mount (Havertz 77’) – N/R. Unable to make enough of an impact as his side were on the back foot. Getty -
REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois – 7. Received a hostile reception on his return to Stamford Bridge but had little to worry about before he stood big to deny Cucurella on the stroke of half-time. Superb when needed. Getty -
Dani Carvajal – 6. Ventured forward on the wing on several occasions and linked up well with Rodrygo in the first half. EPA -
Eder Militao – 8. Booted away a poor corner from James inside 20 minutes before he denied Kante a tap-in just after half-time. Picked out Rodrygo who had already started his run on the wing for the opening goal. Booked for a challenge on Havertz and will miss the semi-final first leg. Reuters -
David Alaba – 7. Cleared a dangerous cross by James before half-time with Gallagher lurking in the box. Taken off at the break and replaced by Rudiger. Getty -
Eduardo Camavinga – 7. Continued his run at left-back but seemingly struggled with the danger James posed with crosses. The Frenchman looked lively after the break with a darting run before he was brought down by James. AFP -
Federico Valverde – 7. The Uruguayan hinted at the threat he can pose on the ball with a darting run into the box before taking a touch too many. Provided Rodrygo with the tap-in for Real’s second. Reuters -
Toni Kroos – 6. Rested at the weekend, the German was confident and calm in the midfield. AFP -
Luka Modric – 6. Made two uncharacteristic errors early on that Chelsea were unable to capitalise on, but forced Kepa into a decent block in the first half. Getty -
Rodrygo – 9. Dealt Chelsea the sucker punch with a goal he made virtually by himself with a darting run down the wing. Tapped home Valverde’s pass to double Real’s lead. Getty -
Karim Benzema – 5. The in-form Frenchman had a difficult start with Chelsea’s attacking attitude and was unable to trouble Kepa with his solitary low effort. Getty -
Vinicius Junior – 7. Patient, and contributed defensively early on. The Brazilian was readily available for long balls, and he tested Kepa with a shot on the half-hour mark. Couldn’t connect with a Modric cross before half-time. AP -
SUBS: Antonio Rudiger (Alba 46’) – 6. A half-time change as he made a return to Stamford Bridge following his move last summer. Reuters -
Aurelien Tchouameni (Benzema 71’) – N/R. Got stuck in, and managed the game well as Madrid closed out the tie. Reuters -
Dani Ceballos (Kroos 77’) – N/R. Fired straight at Kepa in the last kick of the game. AP -
Marco Asensio (Rodrygo 82’) N/R. Part of a double substitution as Real Madrid made it 2-0. Nacho Fernandez (Carvajal 82’) N/R. Helped Madrid see out the game. Getty
