Why Chelsea are reluctant to sack Mauricio Pochettino | OneFootball

Highlights

Mauricio Pochettino's future at Chelsea appears to be safe for now as the club are worried about the amount it would cost to sack the Argentinian, per the Daily Mail.

Last weekend's 4-2 home defeat to Wolves was the latest setback in what has been a troubling campaign for the Blues. With more defeats than wins in the Premier League this season, the former European Champions currently sit 11th in the table. A chorus of boos were heard at Stamford Bridge after Sunday's loss, with fans growing increasingly disillusioned by the current state of affairs.

However, those who are firmly in the 'Pochettino out' camp will be disappointed to hear that, for the time being, their manager seems to be going nowhere.

Pochettino in no immediate danger of being sacked

Chelsea are concerned by their FFP status

According to the Mail's report, the higher-ups at Chelsea are reluctant to remove their manager as things stand due to the precarious financial state of the club. Chelsea are already under investigation for potential FFP breaches dating back to Roman Abramovich's reign. And their extravagant spending since then under Todd Boehly has put them at risk of breaching the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Per the Mail's report, the London outfit has spent over £1bn on new arrivals since the American took over in 2021. They also splashed out close to £25m on sacking Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter. It is believed that removing the current coaching staff would be an additional £10m expense that the club could clearly do without.

Should a sacking occur before the end of the season, it would count towards the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules for the 2023/24 campaign. Clubs are permitted to lose a maximum of £105m over a three-year period, and Chelsea's spending and sackings have put them in a precarious position. The club are already feeling the pressure, which is shown by their willingness to sell the likes of Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Trevor Chalobah during the January transfer window. The reason they were keen to offload these individuals is because they are homegrown talent, meaning their sales would represent complete profit. Ultimately, Chelsea failed in offloading any of these players permanently.

Ben Jacobs also weighed in on the situation, stating that there is a calmness surrounding Pochettino's future. It is believed that the board plan to sit down with their manager at the end of the season to discuss next steps, something which was already agreed upon when Pochettino first arrived. However, it was also pointed out that Graham Potter also had similar backing until it was too late.

Pochettino's Chelsea record compared to Potter's

Current manager faring slightly better

Sunday's fixture against Wolves was the former Tottenham boss' 31st in charge of Chelsea. That is the same amount as Potter managed before being shown the exit door. Despite the doom and gloom that surrounds the team, there has been some noticable improvement during the 51-year-old's time in the dugout.

Pochettino has managed 14 wins out of his 31 games, two more than the former Brighton manager. He has also scored significantly more goals and seen his team produce more chances in the final third. Perhaps most importantly, the ex-midfielder has a win rate of 45%, a marked improvement over Potter's 36%.

With pressure mounting at Stamford Bridge due to the club's poor record, Pochettino will have to turn results around quickly if he wants to have any chance of staying in his current job. Chelsea are next in action against Aston Villa on Wednesday 7th February, which is a replay of their fourth round FA Cup fixture.