Chelsea Wary Of Sacking Mauricio Pochettino Due To Potential Financial Consequences

Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, remains under fire from the media and the club's supporters due to his side's poor displays this season.

Pressure is growing on the Argentinian as Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League table. The possibility of sacking Pochettino in his first season in charge has come up as performances and results do not appear to be improving under him.

However, according to the Daily Mail, Chelsea fear that sacking Pochettino before June could have severe implications for the club.

The Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) state that clubs can lose no more than £105 million over a three-season period.

It would cost Chelsea £10 million to sack Pochettino and his backroom staff before the end of the current campaign. Chelsea's large expenditure in recent years means that even a deficit of £10 million could lead the club towards a breach of PSR.

Expenses paid out by the club include the sacking of Thomas Tuchel as manager in September 2022, which cost £10 million.

Tuchel's replacement, Graham Potter, was appointed shortly after as Chelsea forked out £21.5 million to lure the Englishman and his backroom staff from Brighton & Hove Albion to Stamford Bridge. It then cost Chelsea £13 million in compensation to dismiss Potter last April.

The majority of Chelsea's recent expenses have come from the club's spending in the transfer market. Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital led a takeover of the club in May 2022, Chelsea have spent over £1 billion on more than 30 new players, with many of them being inexperienced.

Chelsea's struggles at the moment are all the more worse as they have spent a hefty amount to not see any significant improvements. Also, the previous spending now sets the club back for the next few years as they will have to operate carefully in the transfer market to avoid PSR breaches.

Chelsea have managed to recuperate a portion of the money spent as last summer Kai Havertz was sold to Arsenal for £65 million and Mason Mount was offloaded to Manchester United for £60 million.

However, Chelsea appear to need more sales before the end of June to remain clear of any financial breaches. Homegrown players such as Conor Gallagher, Trevor Chalobah and Armando Broja were among the players up for sale in the January transfer window as offloading them represents pure profit.

Broja was loaned out to Fulham as no club was willing to pay Chelsea's asking fee of £50 million. Gallagher being up for sale is an indictment of the current financial restraints at Chelsea as he has been a consistent performer under Pochettino this season and has often worn the captain's armband.

Despite the uncertainty at the club, Pochettino has eased concerns over his Chelsea future. Ahead of his side's FA Cup fourth-round replay away to Aston Villa on Wednesday, he told the press: "I think we are all together in this and that's important. I received very good texts from (the club's owners). I am in contact with them and the sporting director every day."

The Chelsea boss also gave assurances that he and his players are doing everything to turn the team's current situation around. He said: "The fans need to trust in us. I promise the fans that the players want to perform and win games."

Pochettino's best chance at proving to the owners he is the right man for the job would be to win some silverware. He will have the opportunity to do so when he leads Chelsea out at Wembley Stadium later this month for the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

Lifting the Carabao Cup could provide a major boost to Chelsea's players for the remainder of the season. It may also help kickstart a new era with the young players at the club as they will get to experience some success and develop stronger ambitions to win even more silverware.

The apparent financial issues at Chelsea are seemingly giving Pochettino an extended period to impress as manager. Therefore, he must find a way to get results quickly and leave the club's hierarchy with no choice but to continue with him in the dugout long-term.