"He was like a magician at times" - Premier League star heaps praises on Chelsea-linked manager Mauricio Pochettino
Newcastle United right-back Kieran Trippier recently claimed that Mauricio Pochettino, who has been linked with the managerial position at Chelsea, is an excellent man-manager.
While Chelsea's hunt for a new manager is still ongoing, they are reportedly closing in on Pochettino. The former PSG manager has been in talks with the Blues for the last month and is ready to sign the deal.
Speaking on a recent episode of the High Performance Podcast, Trippier claimed that Pochettino knew everything about his players. Trippier worked with Pochettino during his time at Tottenham Hotspur. He was quoted by Football London, saying:
"It's funny. It's like he knew everything about you. It's like he had cameras everywhere. He knew if you didn't sleep well, if you were in a bad mood, he was a good man-manager, he knew when to speak to you and when not to speak to you, when to pull you in, when not to. He was like a magician at times."
Pochettino has been without a job since PSG sacked him last summer. He was previously linked to the Manchester United job, who ended up appointing Dutchman Erik ten Hag.
"I did learn from Poch" - Chelsea target Mauricio Pochettino was praised by Manchester United's Christian Eriksen
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen also worked under Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham and gave an insight into the manager's work. He claimed that he learned a lot from the Argentine and told Manchester United's official website:
"I had Poch for a lot longer than the other managers and I think what we did and what we created with him, the team we had was incredible. So, learning wise, I did learn from Poch. You'd have the ball less in training than before but have the ball a lot more in the games. With him, there was a lot of tough training, a lot of running, which is important for the physical part. We were a young side so, for us, it was the perfect mix and, just in the game, to play free."
Chelsea are reportedly looking to seal the deal this week and make the announcement soon. They are now mathematically safe from relegation after the win over Bournemouth last weekend.