Meet the backroom staff Mauricio Pochettino will bring with him to Chelsea

With the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea manager, the Argentine becomes the fourth man to lead the Blues in Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali’s still-fledgling tenure as co-controlling owners.

The former boss of Tottenham Hotspur and PSG will take over Chelsea as the club sits on the back burner, with prospects of a Premier League first half since 1996.

Pochettino will face significant inflows, including managing the bloated squad that contributed to the departure of Graham Potter last month, while interim Frank Lampard also couldn’t get a tune out of the club’s big money arrival.

The 51-year-old will be able to count on his long-standing coaching team to help him sort out the problems and get Chelsea back to competing for Premier League and European trophies.

Mail Sport takes a look at Pochettino’s trusted staff who will help him usher in a new era at Stamford Bridge.

Jesus Perez – Assistant Manager

Spanish, 51 years old

Pochettino has described Perez as “an extension of myself,” with the Spaniard regarded as the person the Argentine trusts most, alongside his wife Karina. The pair are referred to by Pochettino as the people who “keep order in my life.”

Perez and Karina were the driving force behind Pochettino’s decision to accept the Southampton job in 2013, despite his initial reservations about his inability to speak English at the time. Pochettino has since joked that Perez had a vested interest in being able to speak English himself.

The Spaniard was a late arrival in Pochettino’s line-up after being appointed under-21 coach at Espanyol by the club’s sporting director Ramon Planes in 2010. Despite initial caution, Perez was integrated into Pochettino’s inner circle as he was the only person at Espanyol at the time who could work on prototype match analysis software.

Perez is best known as the fitness expert on Pochettino’s staff. His work led to both Southampton and Tottenham being regarded as one of the Premier League’s strongest sides during their tenure. The grueling fitness regimen overseen by Perez was also seen as helping Luke Shaw and Harry Kane’s development.

Pochettino’s right-hand man followed the Argentine to PSG after serving alongside him at Espanyol, Southampton and Spurs. During their time in North London, Perez was known for attending press conferences alongside Pochettino due to his better command of English, with the Spaniard a calm but steady presence.

Perez had a rare moment in the spotlight in early 2021 when he was briefly put in charge of PSG games after Pochettino tested positive for COVID-19.

Miguel D’Agostino – Assistant Manager

Argentinian, 51 years old.

The relationship between Pochettino and D’Agostino, known as Miki, dates back to their time as teammates with Newell’s Old Boys in the early 1990s. The two centre-backs formed a close friendship at the club while playing under Marcelo Bielsa.

D’Agostino later had spells in Chile, Ecuador, France, Mexico and Spain during his playing career before retiring in 2003.

His early coaching career included roles at Canet-en-Rousillon, Brest and Dubai CSC, before starting scouting for Pochettino’s Espanyol in 2009.

D’Agostino then became a full-time part of the set-up, providing the Argentine film training and overseeing the analysis.

In his 2017 book Brave new worldPochettino told the story of how D’Agostino nearly drowned after being thrown overboard during a rafting trip, with the coaching staff accompanied by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Toni Jimenez – Goalkeeper Coach

Spanish, 52 years old.

The highlight of Jimenez’s playing career probably came early on, when the goalkeeper was selected as part of Spain’s squad for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, despite not having yet played in the top flight.

Jimenez played all of Spain’s matches at the tournament after beating competition from future Real Madrid and Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares. The hosts, whose squad included Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, claimed Olympic gold with a 3-2 win against Poland at the Nou Camp.

Although Jimenez would only make three appearances for the senior Spain national team, he enjoyed a strong career at club level playing for Rayo Vallecano, Atletico Madrid and Espanyol.

Jimenez became Pochettino’s teammate during his second spell with Espanyol before ending his playing career in 2004. After initially working as a director at the club, Jimenez was part of Pochettino’s set-up and the pair had completed their coaching badges together.

Spurs captain Hugo Lloris revealed the role Jimenez and Pochettino played in his game in 2017.

“When I first met Toni and Mauricio, I started spending more time in the gym and taking care of my body, developing more muscles and improving my technique,” says Lloris. “I spend a lot of time with him and with Toni, watching videos and they showed me what they expected of me.

“The first few weeks you wonder if what they’re trying to do will work, but then you notice it in practice and later in the game and you think, ‘Okay, maybe they’re right’.”

Sebastiano Pochettino – Sports scientist and fitness coach

Argentinian/Spanish, 28 years old

Sebastiano, the eldest of Pochettino’s two sons, is the newest addition to the coaching setup.

He initially started working for Tottenham in 2016 as a sports science assistant, before being promoted to first team sports scientist and fitness coach. His promotion made him the youngest sports scientist in the Premier League at the age of 22.

Pochettino then filled the same role at PSG and looks likely to do the same at Chelsea.

His first appointment to the Tottenham coaching staff in 2016 came when he completed a first class honors degree from Southampton Solent University in Applied Sports Science while working at the university as a strength and conditioning coach.

Pochettino later completed a Masters in Integrative Biology of the Adaptations to Exercise for Health and Performance at Paris-Saclay University.

The fluent English, French and Spanish speaker has said he specializes in providing injury prevention and strength and conditioning sessions.

Mauricio Pochettino rejected suggestions of favoritism in 2017, insisting players trust his son and suggesting he could one day work for another manager.