Gary Neville has backed Mauricio Pochettino to be a roaring success at Chelsea, should the former Tottenham boss become the Blues’ next permanent head coach.
Pochettino – who has been out of work since being sacked by PSG last summer – is the favorite to take over at Stamford Bridge, where Frank Lampard is currently in interim charge following the dismissal of Graham Potter.
And Neville feels that the Argentine would be the perfect fit for the reigning two-time European champions, who find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League after an utterly miserable campaign so far.
Discussing Pochettino’s potential appointment on his YouTube channel, The Overlapthe Manchester United legend said:
“I think Chelsea is next [season] could really surprise us. Pochettino will bring the club together because he will; he’s likeable, and the players will respect him enormously.
“I think he’ll do a very, very good job next season. He’ll cover a lot of the stuff that’s going on behind the scenes is my prediction.
“If they get him, I think [Chelsea will] have a very good season next year. Those players are perfect for Pochettino: they are talented and young, but they just need direction.”
Pochettino guided Spurs to their best-ever Premier League finish in 2016/17 – when they finished as runners-up to Chelsea – as well as their first-ever Champions League final in 2019.
As for Chelsea, they’re currently on course for their worst top-flight finish since 1993/94, when they came 14th – and, barring an absolute miracle of an end to the campaign, the Blues are about to miss out on European qualification altogether for just the second time this century.