Pochettino Snubs Tottenham, Arsenal Declares Chelsea ‘Greatest Team In England’

In what appears to be a subtle dig at two of the biggest London football clubs – Tottenham and Arsenal – new Chelsea coach, Mauricio Pochettino, has declared his new team the “greatest team in England.”

The former Tottenham coach was speaking for the first time after assuming duty as Chelsea coach on Monday (today), reports the BBC.

He takes over a fractured Chelsea that have failed to qualify for next season’s champion’s league with Arsenal finishing second and Tottenham also finishing ahead of the Blues.

While Arsenal would be at the continental club championship, the Champions League next season, Tottenham also missed the continental showpiece after finishing eighth in the league.

But the former Paris St-Germain manager who appears to be nursing his sack from fellow north London club Tottenham declared that Chelsea have been “the greatest team in England” over the last 10 to 15 years.

THE WHISTLER reports that Chelsea have won 21 trophies since 2004.

These include five Premier Leagues and two Champions Leagues.

“In the last 10, 12, 15 years, Chelsea is the greatest team in England.

“I know very well the Premier League and what the culture of Chelsea means. I think our fans are excited to again be on the road of trying to win,” said Pochetino, who also managed Southampton football club of England.

The 51-year-old Argentine’s greatest managerial success came during his time as PSG manager where he won three trophies including the Ligue 1 title in 2021-22.

But his previous six-year spell in England ended empty-handed with Tottenham reaching the 2019 Champions League final–his finest moment.

Speaking in optimism on Monday shortly after his unveiling as Chelsea coach, Poch said, “We are excited to work with a very young team, with a different approach than in the past.

“But I think we all need to understand that we have to work really hard and create a very good atmosphere at the training ground to build success for the team in the next few years.

“For me, it is a pleasure and honour to now be involved with Chelsea Football Club. We are so excited, and I know Chelsea very well, it is one of the greatest clubs in the world. So of course, it was easy for us to make the decision to move here.”

Explaining why he took the job, he said, “From the beginning, the owners and sporting directors were very clear about the project and we were very excited to join them in this project.

“We are here to try to help the club and the fans. In the end, the most important thing in football is for them to be happy and to feel proud of us and in the way we approach games. The players need to know that.

“Of course, there are always ups and downs in the history of football, but Chelsea is a club that it is impossible to have these ups and downs.

“We need to be sure that we bring what the club needs to be at the top because the history of the club is to be at the top.”

Recall new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly sacked Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter in his first season.

There have been mass exit from Chelsea since the transfer window opened with Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante joining teams in Saudi Arabia while Mason Mount is poised to join Manchester United.