Sam Allardyce offers to replace Pochettino at Chelsea

Cameron Smith

• 27 Feb 2024 22:49 GMT
• 3 min read

Sam Allardyce has offered his services to Todd Boehly amid Mauricio Pochettino’s uncertain future at Chelsea.

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss has endured a tricky start to life at Stamford Bridge and the Blues’ 1-0 loss against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final has ramped up pressure on Pochettino, with many fans believing he should be sacked.

Chelsea are currently 11th in the Premier League, after a dismal start to the 2023-24 campaign, despite the fact well over €1 billion has been spent on new signings since Boehly replaced Roman Abramovich as owner in 2022.

The Blues face a tricky test against Championship high-flyers Leeds United in the FA Cup on Wednesday night and several supporters have urged Boehly to remove Pochettino from his role as head coach if Chelsea lose at Elland Road.

With pressure mounting on the Argentine, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorin being considered as a possible replacement, Allardyce has offered to take over the reins in west London.

What has Sam Allardyce said?

Allardyce appeared on TalkSPORT Breakfast and the question of him replacing Pochettino at Chelsea was raised. “Oh yes, I’d fly back from Dubai tomorrow for that,” he said. “Get me there!

“[They need to] sort the defence out, It’s the worst defending I’ve seen in the Premier League for a long, long time.

“People see that as a negative punt. There’s a big thing on Monday Night Football about Manchester United and how many shots they've conceded and then looking at the top teams like Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.

“They have the best defensive records. It's a simple mathematical equation. You win the league if you have the best defence not the best attack.

“The best attack gives you the opportunity to get the points in the end but the defensive side of it wins you the league.

"The defending has been ignored for many years now and I’ve never seen such bad defending for a long time.

“Considering the quality of the Premier League and the money that’s spent, the quality of defending in the Premier League is worse or has been bad for the last two or three years, so I actually question the coaching these days.

“There's such a big emphasis on the quality of football and playing the right way, that people seem to have shunned one of the most important things and that is when you haven’t got the ball, you have to be good at winning it back.”