Can Mauricio Pochettino save Chelsea?

Former Tottenham and Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed by Chelsea on a two-year contract.

After reports Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann were candidates, Chelsea expressed Pochettino was the only true candidate for the position.

The former Tottenham boss is the fourth manager to be appointed by new owner Todd Boehly, who only took ownership of the club last July.

According to bbc.co.uk, Chelsea released a statement saying: "He is a winning coach who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach, and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate."

Chelsea had a season to forget, spending more than £500 million on players and finishing 12^th in the Premier League table. They got knocked out in the third round of the FA Cup and League Cup but made the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.

Let's look back at Mauricio Pochettino's previous spells in England and whether they are an early indication that the Argentinian can turn Chelsea around.

After four years in charge of Espanyol, Mauricio Pochettino was appointed the new manager of Southampton in January 2013, tasked with keeping them up for the remainder of the season.

After flirting with relegation under Nigel Atkins, Pochettino steered Southampton to a midtable spot, finishing on 41 points at the end of the season.

In his only full season as Southampton boss, the Argentinian led Southampton to an eighth-place finish, their best since 2003, and recorded 56 points, a total they had not achieved since before the Premier League was formed.

In May 2014, Tottenham Hotspur appointed Pochettino on a five-year contract, becoming their tenth manager over 12 years.

After falling out of contention to Leicester City in May 2016, Spurs came back even better for the 2016/2017 season, finishing second with 86 points, their highest total since the English League began.

The 2016/2017 campaign saw Pochettino lead the Spurs to their first season-long unbeaten home run in 52 years since 1964-65.

In his first season at the club, Pochettino led Tottenham to the League Cup Final against Chelsea, losing 2-0. However, in May 2019, the Argentine led Spurs to their first-ever Champions League Final after Lucas Moura scored a second-half hattrick in the semi-final.

Spurs lost in the Champions League Final 2-0 to Liverpool, and five months after that, Pochettino was sacked in November 2019, with Spurs 14^th in the Premier League.

Over his five years with the club, youngsters from Tottenham's academy blossomed into Premier League stars, including Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Eric Dyer.

Since leaving Tottenham, Pochettino has managed Paris Saint Germain, winning the Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France, and Trophee des Champions.