It is understood that Chelsea have reached a long-term agreement with manager Mauricio Pochettino to revisit his position at the club at the end of the season.
Pochettino found himself under pressure after a lackluster first half of the season, but a stunning 3-1 win over Aston Villa in Tuesday's FA Cup not only helped his career, but also showcased what Chelsea are capable of. But with Chelsea back in the bottom half of the Premier League table, there's an important February ahead, including the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at the end of the month.
Prior to Villa's victory, sources had confirmed 90 minutes ago that Pochettino's position would not be directly threatened, with the Stamford Bridge boss well aware of the need to be patient with a young squad. It has also been acknowledged that Pochettino has rarely been able to name his strongest squad due to injuries and that the younger members of the squad will also need time to settle into life in the Premier League, so it is realised that it would be unfair to make the final judgment on Pochettino at this point.
When Pochettino joined the club last year, he agreed to carry out what sources called a "two-way assessment" this summer, which would give both the Chelsea owner and Pochettino himself the opportunity to discuss where the club is headed. The owner signed a three-year contract, but only the first two seasons were ***, and the third year was an option for the club.
Chelsea would prefer to spend the season under Mauricio Pochettino and sincerely hope to keep things running smoothly and achieve long-term success under their current owners. If change is really needed, there are fears that it could further upset the situation by finding a temporary replacement, as was the case last year when Frank Lamp came to replace Graham Potter.
As Pochettino himself confirmed, he received supportive text messages from his bosses after the defeat to Wolves, with sources refuting any suggestion of crisis talks or formal discussions of potential replacements. Chelsea's position is 'business as usual'. While Chelsea have no plans to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the moment, the nature of their agreement with the current manager does leave the door open to the possibility of a possible parting of ways this summer, so it is understood that the club has been conducting normal due diligence on potential replacements. This doesn't mean exploring replacements, but rather a general succession plan that every club does.
There is a close link with former head coach Jose Mourinho, who is available to play after leaving Roma, but in the current circumstances, he is unlikely to be appointed. As was the case with Thomas Tuchel when the Chelsea ownership group was formed, Mourinho was not seen as strategically fit into Chelsea's model. On the contrary, Bayer Leverkusen's Xavi Alonso, Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi and Sporting's Ruben Amorim have all been admired, but there has been no formal discussion yet, and during Pochettino's stay, there has been little progress beyond the current situation, as there is a desire to work with the Argentine.
The owners currently have a plan to span four transfer windows, with the upcoming summer being the fourth and last. There are those looking to sign a big-name striker, with Napoli's Victor Osimhen seen as a potential absence and Chelsea don't want to unfairly judge their manager's performance before the planned fourth and final window has passed.