Mauricio Pochettino set for new job after Chelsea exit after becoming 'leading candidate' for shock role

 

Mauricio Pochettino could be making a shock return to management after leaving Chelsea in the summer.

Mauricio Pochettino is in line for a new managerial job months after leaving Chelsea.

The Argentine led Chelsea back into European football with a sixth-place finish but still left by mutual consent and reportedly walked away with a handsome £10 million pay-off.

He was heavily linked with a number of different club managerial vacancies but it’s now claimed that the former Spurs and Southampton boss is a leading contender for a first international job.

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According to both Fox Sports and The Athletic, Pochettino has emerged as a frontrunner for the USMNT job.

Jurgen Klopp was briefly touted as a potential option before it was communicated that he had no interest, yet the links to Pochettino remain persistent.

US sporting director Matt Crocker had a brief spell working with Pochettino when he was in the Southampton academy set-up and his team are believed to have held a first meeting in the middle of July.

 

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

Hoffenheim boss Pellegrino Matarazzo looked like he was on the verge of taking the gig but decided to stay with the club.

Pochettino is still a target and fits the profile of a “serial winning coach” which the USMNT are looking for.

US chiefs sacked Gregg Berhalter following a disappointing Copa America tournament where they were hosts.

They failed to progress to the knockout stages after finishing third in Group C, which saw Uruguay and Panama finish in the top two and secure qualification.

 

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

Berhalter’s second stint in the job came to an end on 10 July following the poor campaign and with such an exciting crop of players, the football federation are desperate to get the next appointment right.

They have proved previously they are more than willing to fork out on salaries, having made former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes the highest-paid female manager in the world.