Chelsea deny paying for manager's flight and interviewing him for Pochettino's job

Chelsea are adamant that they did not pay for Ruben Amorim to fly to England for talks over the manager’s job at Stamford Bridge, according to reports. The Blues have been tipped to sack Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season, with the former Tottenham boss having endured a torrid debut campaign in west London.

Chelsea currently sit ninth in the Premier League table on 48 points, having failed to win 20 of their 33 games so far this season. They still have an outside chance of qualifying for European football but will need to start picking up wins and hope other results go in their favour.

It has been speculated that Chelsea could relieve Pochettino of his duties before the start of next season, with Amorim having been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. The Sporting boss is thought to have plenty of admirers in the Premier League amid reported interest from the likes of West Ham and Liverpool.

Last week, it was reported that Amorim flew to London for surprise talks at West Ham with David Moyes under growing pressure to save his job. The negotiations ultimately went nowhere and the Sporting boss has since apologised for making the trip to England.

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It was then claimed by Portuguese reporter Pedro Sepulveda that Amorim’s flight was paid for by Chelsea, who were said to have staged talks about replacing Pochettino in the summer. However, the Blues have strenuously denied any involvement in paying for Amorim’s flights or holding any talks with him, according to The Telegraph.

Chelsea are reportedly yet to make a firm decision on whether to stick with Pochettino or replace him with another candidate. The pressure on his shoulders ramped up after their heavy defeat to Arsenal earlier this month, while they remain winless in their last three matches.

The Blues will stage a summer review to decide what to do next, according to the Daily Mail, with Todd Boehly still considering if Pochettino is the right man to lead Chelsea into the new season. The report adds that Chelsea could risk a dressing room backlash if Pochettino is given the boot, with many of their players said to be fully behind their manager.

The Chelsea boss has spent much of this season defending his young team after slipping to lacklustre results in the Premier League and domestic cups. He suggested that his players ‘gave up’ during their defeat to Arsenal but stopped short of holding them responsible, saying: “I cannot blame the players. There are too many details and circumstances for why this happened.”