{"id":5932,"date":"2026-05-08T13:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T13:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=5932"},"modified":"2026-05-08T13:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T13:18:10","slug":"former-chelsea-boss-mauricio-pochettino-linked-with-wild-card-move-after-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=5932","title":{"rendered":"Former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino linked with ‘wild card’ move after World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Mauricio Pochettino may be on show at this year\u2019s World Cup with the United States, but it seems as if the former Chelsea manager could return to club football soon after. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Mauricio Pochettino led the youngest squad in the league to a sixth-place finish and an FA Cup semi-final, but a mutual agreement saw him depart Chelsea in 2024. <\/p>\n

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Now, the Argentine finds himself at the centre of the world\u2019s biggest sporting event as he prepares to lead the USMNT into the 2026 World Cup on home soil. However, his time in the States has been turbulent, as recent friendly defeats to Belgium and Portugal have sparked criticism. <\/p>\n

And it seems as if his time on the international stage may be short-lived, with a return to club football being tipped for Pochettino this summer. <\/p>\n

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Are there any changes you would make to the Chelsea XI?<\/h3>\n

Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are both ‘unlikely’ to feature \ud83d\ude2c<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Mauricio Pochettino a contender for the Real Madrid job <\/h2>\n

According to Ben Jacobs at TalkSPORT, Real Madrid are a \u2018wild card\u2019 club for Mauricio Pochettino this summer, with it looking likely that he will leave his position as the USA manager. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s liked. But I think there\u2019s been a feeling for quite some time that, if this World Cup goes amazingly, Poch bows out on a high. And if this World Cup doesn\u2019t go according to plan, then he leaves at the end of the contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cTottenham is off the table because\u00a0Roberto De Zerbi\u00a0got that job, but Mauricio Pochettino was the other candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cReal Madrid\u00a0is the wild card in all of this, and Mauricio Pochettino is a candidate there. <\/p>\n

\u201cPochettino\u2019s not a candidate for\u00a0Manchester City, if\u00a0Pep Guardiola\u00a0leaves. The\u00a0Manchester United\u00a0process has in the past looked at Pochettino. But I\u2019m not aware that he\u2019s a frontrunner for the role at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

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QUARTER-FINAL TWO: Enzo Fernandez vs Cole Palmer?<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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A return to Chelsea for Mauricio Pochettino?<\/h2>\n

While a romantic return for Mauricio Pochettino would undoubtedly thrill sections of the Chelsea support, the current hierarchy appears focused on fresh identities like Andoni Iraola or Xabi Alonso. <\/p>\n

Pochettino\u2019s contract with the USMNT expires immediately following the 2026 World Cup, and while he has openly flirted with a Premier League return, his strained relationship with the BlueCo sporting directors remains a significant hurdle. <\/p>\n

Unless the board is willing to grant him the full authority he lacked during his first stint, a move back to Stamford Bridge this summer feels improbable.<\/p>\n

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