Mauricio Pochettino refused to say whether he received assurances on his future from Todd Boehly after going out for “a very nice dinner” with Chelsea’s co-owner last Friday.
Pochettino, who was in a positive mood after securing European qualification thanks to a 2-1 win against Bournemouth on Sunday, remains in the dark on whether he will continue as head coach next season. The Argentinian was unsure if a pivotal end-of-season review with Chelsea’s hierarchy will take place this week.
Any decision to sack Pochettino would have to be agreed by Boehly and Clearlake Capital, the private equity fund managed by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano. But Chelsea’s ownership group is undecided on whether a change is required before a review that is yet to be put into the diary.
“I don’t know if that is going to happen or not,” Pochettino said. “I don’t have any idea about this. All I can tell you is on Friday night, Todd invited me for a dinner and it was a very nice dinner together.
“But I don’t know about the rumours about the review. My staff tomorrow are flying for their holidays. I am going to stay in London for a few more days. I am always open. My phone is going to be on.”
Pochettino would not talk about his conversation with Boehly. “It is only for you to know that I was with him,” he said. “I’m not going to talk about this. If I invite you along, and you and me have dinner, it’s not for bad things. I don’t believe that.”
The 52-year-old, who did not engage with the crowd during the end-of-season festivities, was asked if his work with Chelsea’s players is done. “Always you can improve,” he said. “They are going to be much better next season because they will have one year of experience, a tough experience.
“Next season if we keep 80%-85% of the squad it is a big step forward because it is about having continuity in the ideas and the knowledge between them.”
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Pochettino said that recruitment would continue to be overseen by the club. “Like it was from the beginning. We are going to be there to help and if not, we are going to do our job.”