Mauricio Pochettino might be Chelsea’s new coach. According to The Guardian, the appointment of the Argentinian at Stamford Bridge is only a matter of time. Striking: Arne Slot is mentioned by the reliable English medium as an option if the deal still falls through.
Name Slot pops up as an alternative for top candidate Pochettino at Chelsea
Slot is working on his second season at Feyenoord, with which he reached the Conference League final last season and will almost certainly become champion of the Netherlands this season. These achievements are also notable in England. The successful coach has previously been linked with Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Leeds United and is now rumored to be on the Chelsea list as well.
The chance that Slot will actually start working at The Blues is small, because, as said, it looks like Pochettino will succeed interim coach Frank Lampard. Pochettino has been without a club since leaving Paris Saint-Germain, where he parted ways in July last year, and has already had some positive talks at Chelsea.
Pochettino, who previously coached Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur in England, has been tipped as the top favorite to become Chelsea’s new coach since Julian Nagelsmann’s ‘no’ (he withdrew last week). The current number eleven of the Premier League has not yet made an offer to the coach, but according to The Guardian this will happen soon.
If Pochettino does not accept the proposal, which is not expected by anyone in England, Chelsea will have to switch. Vincent Kompany from Burnley is an option in that case, but Slot could also take a call from London into account in that case. The Dutchman still has a contract for two seasons with Feyenoord.
Klopp raved about Gakpo: “Exceptionally good and pleasure to work with”
Jürgen Klopp is satisfied with Cody Gakpo’s first months in the Liverpool shirt. The manager is even surprised about the way in which the striker of the Dutch national team is already profiling himself. The German quickly got to know his acquisition, who came over from PSV last winter.
“Cody is 23 years old and was already captain of PSV,” Klopp said through the official channels of Liverpool. Initially, the manager didn’t immediately understand that, until he saw Gakpo at work up close. The manager added, “Then I realized, this is really a super smart boy. He is open and a real team player. And also a very good footballer.”
Due to his versatility, Gakpo was high on Klopp’s wish list. He sees the natural replacement for Roberto Firmino in the Dutchman. “He can play in the center, from the flank, on the right, anywhere really. You can use Cody as a real nine, but also in a system with two strikers. He just creates his own position. Like Firmino, but in his own way,” said Klopp.
“You have to find your own way, that’s important to me. Cody is working on that too,” Klopp noted. “He is doing exceptionally well. We didn’t run well, then it’s really difficult for a new player. It didn’t click with each other and he had to come on the team. But he just did. And now that it’s going to take off, people are seeing it too. It’s really pretty.”
