Pochettino named Chelsea manager - reaction

These are the latest pictures from Luton where the promotion party looks like going into the night. And why not? The Hatters are in the Premier League!

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Alaskan Joe: I am no fan of Chelsea. But I don't think Pochettino will make much of a difference to be honest. It may just be another case of Boehly pulling up in a rental van full of footballers and telling Pochettino to get on with it, just like he did with Potter and Tuchel.

Chelsea's ownership group, including Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, Jose E. Feliciano, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss said:

“The sporting team conducted a diligent and thoughtful process that the board is proud of. We are delighted that Mauricio will be joining Chelsea. Mauricio is a world class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board.”

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SMS Message: With Pochettino as manager, Harry Kane to Chelsea is so obvious. The club needs a striker and Kane can keep the family settled in London while not being away for European football. from Derek

With Pochettino as manager, Harry Kane to Chelsea is so obvious. The club needs a striker and Kane can keep the family settled in London while not being away for European football.

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Across London from Chelsea, Roy Hodgson's future at Crystal Palace is up in the air but outgoing midfielder James McArthur believes the veteran manager breathed fresh life into the Eagles during his second stint at the club.

Hodgson, who turns 76 in August, returned to Selhurst Park two months ago on a deal until the end of this season, taking over at a side that were winless in 13 games and hovering three points above the Premier League drop zone.

Palace won five of their remaining 10 fixtures to finish 11th - above Chelsea - after a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"In the changing room all the boys thanked him," McArthur said. "We don't know what's happening next year, but we thanked him for his effort this year."

McArthur announced last week he would leave Palace after nine years.

Lemegethisstraight: Never know why when teams having very expensive players do not sack players that regularly underperform? Nothing would sharpen the minds and the performance of some of these overpaid football divas than the ongoing threat of redundancy linked to performance targets like ... oh I don't know .... winning!! Would do wonders for the game.

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Speaking about Mauricio Pochettino's appointment on Sky Sports, former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said: "There is a lot to learn. The club was in crisis. They hadn't strengthened for a long time. There were mistakes being made but it's now up to the owners to make sure the people are given the space to do their job.

"They're a long way behind from Manchester City and no Chelsea fans would argue with that. There will be an expectation to be in the top four. There's so many young players that aren't ready yet, they've got long contracts because they need to be built up. It will take Mauricio Pochettino some time."

SMS Message: Even when we won the CL and Club World Cup pundits and fans still humbled us about everything. Poch obviously will trim Chelsea’s squad of the surplus and play all the players we bought last Summer and Christmas. Nkunku is on the way as well, it seems to partner Felix. from Ryan

Even when we won the CL and Club World Cup pundits and fans still humbled us about everything. Poch obviously will trim Chelsea’s squad of the surplus and play all the players we bought last Summer and Christmas. Nkunku is on the way as well, it seems to partner Felix.

They're dancing on the streets of Luton following the club's promotion to the Premier League.

Thousands have poured into the town to show their appreciation to the players who are on an open top bus parade.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United...they'll all be visiting Kenilworth Road in the next few months.

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Moving briefly away from Mauricio Pochettino's appointment and Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has released a statement following their relegation from the Premier League.

Aiyawatt says Leicester "will be back" and also revealed he has had "offensive" messages asking him to sell the club.

His family have owned the Foxes since 2010, with Aiyawatt taking charge in 2018 after the death of father Vichai.

In that time, they have been promoted, won the Premier League and FA Cup.

"Relegation is undeniably a significant setback, but it will not define us," the chairman said in a statement.

"Today we share the loss and the pain of relegation together. But we will be back.

"We achieved things and share experiences together that nobody will ever forget. We completed an ascent nobody thought was possible - from relegation favourites to Premier League champions and one of the greatest sporting stories ever told."

Read more here.

SMS Message: Re Akorede at 14:07 - Next season actually looks like it could be very exciting in terms of challenging for the top four. Man City will of course be up there, then Arsenal, Man Utd, Newcastle will keep it up. Assuming Brighton and Villa don't lose key players/managers and get investment into squads they could easily make a push. Poch will improve Chelsea. Liverpool will bounce back assuming they can fix their midfield issues. Next season already looks very interesting. from Aly

Re Akorede at 14:07 - Next season actually looks like it could be very exciting in terms of challenging for the top four. Man City will of course be up there, then Arsenal, Man Utd, Newcastle will keep it up. Assuming Brighton and Villa don't lose key players/managers and get investment into squads they could easily make a push. Poch will improve Chelsea. Liverpool will bounce back assuming they can fix their midfield issues. Next season already looks very interesting.

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What Mauricio Pochettino's time at Paris St-Germain taught him is he needs to return to his essence, with all his passion and intensity, not dissimilar to the relationship he enjoyed with his players at Spurs.

For that, he has taken a good look at himself and what he did wrong at the French club, what he could have done better and how he can avoid making similar mistakes at Chelsea. He needs to have the energy to be able to mould players, know that the players are listening to him and have the authority to ensure that this is happening.

He realises that, at Chelsea, he needs to control the agenda as much as possible - something he could not do at PSG.

Most importantly, he needs to get the message across that this will not be a quick fix and, more than vast sums of money, what is required most is time.

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Rob Bown: Chelsea get yet another manager they can sack before the end of the season, in manager conveyor belt non-shocker. Who are they going to get in February?

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Where do you even start with Chelsea? What an absolutely wretched and dysfunctional first season under the co-ownership of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali after succeeding Roman Abramovich.

Thomas Tuchel sacked, successor Graham Potter suffering the same fate after only 31 matches, Frank Lampard making a bizarre return to no effect after he was shown the door by Everton and £600m spent in a scattergun transfer policy to make the team worse and assemble a ridiculously large and unwieldy squad.

Chelsea will need a complete reset under incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino, who must slim down the squad and actually give the team identity. Boehly and Eghbali must also learn some very expensive lessons.

Dave: I somehow have the feeling that, despite Poch's skills, he won't get an amazing performance out of these players. There's a lot of players on the decline at Chelsea. So the question is, does Poch get the backing to get rid of dead weight and will Chelsea go shopping yet again?

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Chelsea's spending is under scrutiny due to financial fair play controls but much of their outlay was with one eye on the future.

Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Carney Chukwuemeka, Noni Madueke, David Datro Fofana, Malo Gusto and Andrey Santos are all 22 or younger.

Chelsea have been ridiculed for putting some of those players on eight-year contracts, but the club's ownership are betting on Mauricio Pochettino's record with young talent to prove them right.

GirthWindandFire: Chelsea squad needs a strong manager, with a strong discipline streak - good luck to Poch. Meanwhile, I’d be more worried about Spurs next season than Chelsea.

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Mauricio Pochettino looks the perfect fit for Chelsea and will benefit from the fact he joins with the bar having been set so low - the usual sky-high expectations diluted, for now at least, by their painful fall from grace.

He has a personality and man-management skills that make players warm to him, especially young players who revel under his guidance, while he also renewed the Spurs squad after succeeding Tim Sherwood in May 2014.

This should not be mistaken for a lack of ruthlessness, as Chelsea's players will find out if they do not meet the demands, both in the footballing and physical context, of Pochettino and his trusted lieutenant Jesus Perez.

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Dom Smith: Good decision by Chelsea. Pochettino was unfairly treated at Tottenham after he got them into the Champions League final. A great manager. If he is given time I’m sure he can do great things at Chelsea.