European giants add Mauricio Pochettino to their managerial shortlist following his Chelsea exit: Reports
Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly in Bayern Munich's sights after his shock Chelsea departure. The Argentine coach departed Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (May 21) despite leading the Blues to a sixth-placed finish.
Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg reports that Bayern have monitored Pochettino's situation. The Bavarians had the former Paris Saint-Germain boss on their list of candidates to succeed Thomas Tuchel.
Plettenberg stressed that there has been no contact between Pochettino and the Bundesliga giants. He's available after leaving Chelsea by mutual consent as the two parties disagreed over several aspects of recruitment.
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is the frontrunner to replace Tuchel at the Allianz Arena. Bayern chiefs Max Eberl and Christoph Freund are focused on pursuing the Belgian tactician whose Clarets were relegated this season.
Pochettino had a year left on his contract with the Blues with the option of a further year. He guided the west Londoners to UEFA Europa League qualification after spending most of the season in mid-table.
The Argentine oversaw 27 wins in 51 games and his youthful squad appeared to be on board with his vision for the team. His exit was somewhat of a surprise given the side's strong end-of-season form, winning five on the bounce.
Chelsea legend John Terry admits he's gutted to see Mauricio Pochettino depart
Chelsea fans, players, and legends have all weighed in on Pochettino's questionable departure. One of those was John Terry who captained the Blues throughout his illustrious career.
Terry made his feelings clear with a post on his Instagram story accompanied by a picture of Pochettino:
"Gutted to see (Pochettino's team) leave. I just hope we don't sign or sell any players until we get a manager in."
Chelsea look set for a busy summer transfer window even more so now that they're looking for a new manager. The club's co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali will want to build on their sixth-placed finish.
Several coaches have been linked with replacing Pochettino including Leicester City's Enzo Maresca. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Stamford Bridge higher-ups have been impressed by the Foxes coach's brand of football.
Maresca took over at the King Power last July and oversaw an EFL Championship title-winning season. His side won 36 of 53 games across competitions, finishing the campaign on 97 points.
The Italian tactician previously worked alongside Pep Guardiola in Manchester City's backroom staff. He's also coached at West Ham United and Sevilla after a fine playing career.