So, Chelsea need a big-name manager, an ultra‑charismatic type who can look after the egos of superstar players and also develop the younger ones, offering encouragement to them. They need somebody with an inside-out knowledge of the Premier League, who knows London, too. And they need someone to reshape the squad, to trim the fat, who actively prefers to work with a streamlined first-team group.
It is really not difficult to see the attraction of Mauricio Pochettino, who is not the club’s new manager yet but is getting so close to the job that it feels appropriate to wonder what the future at Stamford Bridge would look like with him at its centre. Even to overlook the disclaimer that relates to how quickly things can change in football, how anything can happen – particularly at Chelsea under the charge of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.