Pochettino future held up by Chelsea, with elite boss stung ahead of USMNT move

Mauricio Pochettino could apparently be unable to take the role as USMNT manager just yet, due to his former employers Chelsea holding up the deal.

Pochettino spent just a season with the Blues, and was fairly harshly treated. Indeed, they finished 12th in the Premier League the season before he joined, and the Argentine led them to sixth in the table.

Despite the big jump, and the chance for him to continue on that upwards trajectory after allowing the likes of Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher to thrive, he was unable to lead them on their next step.

Since leaving the Chelsea role after last season, Pochettino has been linked with the Manchester United and England jobs, but both are now filled, and he has instead decided to become the new USA manager .

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The news that he’d become the country’s new manager was reported on August 15, around three months after departing Stamford Bridge, and while there’s been a while since his Blues tenure ended, they now seem to be holding up the manager’s next move.

It’s said that while Pochettino has accepted the approach from the USA, there is no final agreement in place, and he would be unable to pen a new contract as he is still owed money by Chelsea.

Having penned a two-year contract with London outfit initially, with a potential year in addition to that, it’s said the manager left being owed around £10million in compensation, having mutually terminated his contract.

It’s suggested that until that is paid, Pochettino won’t be able to go forwards with his new role, so after seemingly being unfairly treated by Chelsea once, they currently still have his future in their hands.

It is unclear how quickly the club will be willing to, or may have to, pay off the manager after his departure from the club this summer.

READ MORE : Pressing, pace and fast-tracking youth: what a Pochettino USMNT might look like