March 4 – Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has asked for the blame to be placed on his shoulders after Blues fans turned on the Argentine during their 2-2 draw with Brentford on Saturday.
Chelsea’s short trip to Brentford quickly turned toxic as fans sung for former boss Jose Mourinho and ex-owner Roman Abramovich.
Pochettino insisted after a disappointing draw that he would never quit, even if the supporters were singing for him to ‘f*** off’ at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has been out of a job since leaving Roma in January and reportedly wants a sensational return to the Premier League.
Despite this, the Blues have reportedly cast their eyes towards Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as the ideal replacement for the struggling Pochettino. Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon side are leading the Liga Portugal by a fine margin- one point clear of Benfica with a game in hand- but his impressive style of play has drawn admirers from across the continent.
The West London club also are keen on Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, but have fallen behind Liverpool and Bayern Munich as suitors for his signature in the summer.
“We cannot blame the fans,” Pochettino said when asked if he was hurt by the barbs at Brentford.
“They need to show their frustration but through who? I’d prefer through me rather than the team. I prefer that. I am strong.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1713958068labto1713958068ofdlr1713958068owedi1713958068sni@g1713958068niwe.1713958068yrrah1713958068