Rio Ferdinand is not convinced Mauricio Pochettino will be in charge of Chelsea next season and says he has heard rumblings that the club’s hierarchy will look elsewhere.
The Argentine coach ended a largely difficult campaign with five straight wins in the Premier League, culminating with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
As a result of that win, Chelsea wrapped up sixth place and will definitely be playing in Europe next season – though whether they are in the Europa League or Europa Conference League is dependent on whether Manchester United win the FA Cup final next weekend or not.
Despite the encouraging end to the campaign, speculation continues to swirl around Pochettino’s future and there is rumoured to be a board meeting this coming week to determine whether he will remain in charge.
The former Tottenham boss – whose contract only runs for one more year – could offer no assurances over his future following the Bournemouth win despite having a ‘very nice dinner’ with chairman Todd Boehly on Friday night.
Ferdinand now believes the writing is on the wall for Pochettino despite the upturn in Chelsea’s results and says the whispers he has heard do not bode well for the Argentine.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: ‘I reckon there will be a managerial merry-go-round. And from what I’m hearing about Pochettino, I’m not sure he’s going to be there at Chelsea.
‘The mutterings I’m hearing coming out, I don’t know if it’s going to end well there.’
When it was suggested Pochettino has now won over the fans and should be backed, Ferdinand continued: ‘But I don’t think it’s in their hands.
‘It’s the hierarchy and I think there could be a decision being made between those guys. I don’t think he’ll be there, if I was a betting man.’
Asked about the rumoured board meeting to determine his future, Pochettino himself said: ‘I don’t know if that is going to happen or not. 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. My phone is going to be on.’
In a separate interview with Sky Sports, Pochettino was asked about his future and replied: ‘That is a question for the owners and the sporting directors.’
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