Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he has a meeting with Blues owner Todd Boehly scheduled in the diary for the end of the campaign and has insisted he is already planning for next season. The Argentine took over at Stamford Bridge last summer and endured a difficult start to his career in west London but has helped his team turn their form around in recent months.
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“The way we work is to sit with the sporting directors,” Pochettino told the media ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. “We are already planning the pre-season tour, to start the pre-season here. We have had some meetings and we are working with the responsibility to organise the next season and, of course, working in the future.”
Chelsea struggled for form in the early stages of the season and suffered eight Premier League defeats before Christmas. But Pochettino has since guided his team to the Carabao Cup final, the FA Cup semi-finals and seventh in the Premier League table.
Chelsea have lost just once in their last 12 Premier League outings and are aiming to leapfrog Newcastle to secure a sixth-place finish. The Blues are currently two point behind the Magpies, with both teams having three matches remaining.
If Chelsea finish sixth and Manchester United lose to Manchester City in the FA Cup final, the Blues will secure the final Europa League qualifying spot, a target that reportedly has to be met in order for Pochettino to keep his job in the capital.
Boehly addressed Chelsea’s improved form as he spoke at a Sportico conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday as he explained: “We've seen the last two and a half games, in the second half at Aston Villa [a 2-2 draw] and Tottenham [a 2-0 win] and West Ham [a 5-0 win] where we played beautiful football. In those two and a half games, you could really start to see what we were working on coming together.”
And commenting on Boehly’s remarks in the USA, Pochettino continued: “He described the reality, no? And yes, always Todd was very good with us even in the tough moments, he was always positive with his messages and in a private way but to be public now and if the owner is happy, it is much better for the club, the fans, the players and the owners, also.”
Chelsea will be desperate to bag all three points when they travel to the City Ground. And Pochettino has also suggested long-term absentee Reece James could feature in the squad after missing five months of action with a hamstring injury. “We need to see today but maybe he can be available in the squad, yes,” Pochettino added. “The most important thing is that he is going to be with us. Always to have your captain is a massive boost for any team.”
