With the anticipated appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea's manager, the Argentine will become the team's fourth manager during Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali's still-emerging tenure as co-controlling owners.
The former Tottenham and PSG manager will take over Chelsea with the club in a low point and the possibility of a first Premier League bottom-half finish since 1996.
Pochettino will have a lot on his plate, including managing the bloated squad that was a factor in Graham Potter's resignation last month. Frank Lampard, the club's interim manager, will also struggle to make sense of the club's high-profile additions.
The 51-year-old can rely on his seasoned coaching staff to help him sort through the problems and work to rehabilitate Chelsea so that they can once more contend for Premier League and European honors.
Mail Sport looks at Pochettino's dependable team that will assist him in ushering in a new era at Stamford Bridge.
Manager's assistant Jesus Perez
51-year-old Spanish
Perez is seen by Pochettino as "an extension of myself," together with his wife Karina, and is the person in whom the Argentinean has the most confidence. Pochettino has named the two as the ones that "keep order in my life."
Pochettino's decision to accept the Southampton post in 2013 was motivated by Perez and Karina, despite his initial reluctance due to his limited English proficiency at the time. Pochettino then made fun of Perez's vested interest in speaking English because of it.
The Spaniard joined Pochettino's organization later than expected after Ramon Planes, the club's sports director, named him Espanyol's under-21 coach in 2010. Due to the fact that Perez was the only employee at Espanyol at the time who could work on a prototype match analysis program, Pochettino eventually accepted Perez into his inner circle despite his initial reluctance.
Perez is most recognized for being Pochettino's staff's fitness specialist. During his tenure, his efforts helped Southampton and Tottenham rank among the Premier League's fittest teams. Luke Shaw and Harry Kane were perceived as benefiting from the demanding training program that Perez oversaw.
The Argentine's right-hand man, who worked with Pochettino at Espanyol, Southampton, and Spurs, followed the Argentine to PSG. Due to his stronger command of English during their time in North London, Perez was well known for attending news appearances alongside Pochettino, the Spaniard being a modest but frequent presence.
Early in 2021, after Pochettino tested positive for COVID-19, Perez had a unique opportunity to command PSG games for a brief period of time.
Miguel D'Agostino, manager's assistant
Argentinean, aged 51.
Pochettino and D'Agostino, also referred to as Miki, have been close friends since they were teammates at Newell's Old Boys in the early 1990s. While playing for Marcelo Bielsa at the club, the two center backs grew close.
Prior to his playing career ending in 2003, D'Agostino spent time in Chile, Ecuador, France, Mexico, and Spain.
Before starting to work as a scout for Pochettino's Espanyol in 2009, he held coaching positions at Canet-en-Rousillon, Brest, and Dubai CSC in his early coaching career.
After that, D'Agostino joined the team full-time, filming practice sessions and supervising analysis.
Pochettino detailed the incident of D'Agostino being pushed overboard on a rafting vacation while the coaching staff and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy were there in his 2017 book Brave New World.
Coach for goalkeepers Toni Jimenez
a 52-year-old Spaniard.
The goalkeeper's selection for Spain's Olympic team in 1992, even though he hadn't yet appeared in the premier league, was arguably the high point of Jimenez's playing career.
After beating out competition from future Real Madrid and Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares, Jimenez participated in all of Spain's games throughout the tournament. The hosts defeated Poland 3-2 at the Nou Camp to capture the Olympic gold. The team comprised Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.
Only three times would Jimenez play for Spain's senior national team, but he had a successful club career playing for Rayo Vallecano, Atletico Madrid, and Espanyol.
During his second stint with Espanyol, Jimenez became Pochettino's teammate before calling it quits in 2004. Jimenez joined Pochettino's staff after first serving as a club director and after the two of them successfully earned their coaching badges.
Hugo Lloris, the captain of Tottenham, acknowledged Jimenez and Pochettino's influence on his performance in 2017.
Lloris reflected, "When I first met Toni and Mauricio, I started spending more time in the gym and taking care of my physique, building more muscle and refining my technique. 'I spent a lot of time watching videos with him and Toni, and they made it clear to me what they wanted of me.
When I initially met Toni and Mauricio, I started working out more, taking better care of my physique, adding muscle, and honing my technique,' Lloris reminisced.I spent a lot of time watching videos with him and Toni, and they made it clear to me what they wanted of me.
"In the first few weeks, you question whether what they are attempting will succeed, but once you start to notice at practice and later in the game, you think, "Okay, maybe they're right,"" says the author.
Sport scientist and trainer Sebastiano Pochettino
28-year-old Spanish and Argentine
The newest member of the coaching staff is Sebastiano, the older of Pochettino's two kids.
Prior to being elevated to the position of sport scientist and fitness coach for the first team, he began working for Tottenham in 2016 as an assistant in the field of sport science. At the age of 22, his rise made him the Premier League's youngest sports scientist.
Pochettino then held the same position at PSG, and it appears that he will have it at Chelsea as well.
He was first hired by Tottenham in 2016, shortly after graduating with a first-class honors degree in Applied Sports Science from Southampton Solent University, where he also worked as a strength and conditioning coach.
Pochettino later earned a master's degree from Paris-Saclay University in "Integrative Biology of the Adaptations to Exercise for Health and Performance."
The native speaker of English, French, and Spanish claims to specialize in offering strength and conditioning and injury prevention programs.
Back in 2017, Mauricio Pochettino refuted accusations of nepotism, stating that his players trusted him and that his son might someday work for another manager.
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