Chelsea are reportedly confident that they will be able to confirm the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the club's next head coach later this week.
On Tuesday evening, caretaker boss Frank Lampard will attempt to end a five-game losing streak when the Blues take on London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea have now dropped down to 12th position in the Premier League standings and thought is already being given to next season, one which will not involve European football.
For over a week and a half, it has been widely speculated that the new incumbent to the Stamford Bridge dugout will be Pochettino, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea begun the process of finding a permanent replacement for Graham Potter by being credited with an interest in a wide array of names, including Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique.
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According to 90min, however, the club's owners that not considered anyone other than Pochettino since the Argentine impressed at the start of the selection process.
The report adds that Chelsea now feel that they are in a position where they could be able to confirm the arrival of the 51-year-old within days.
Club officials are said to have held further discussions over the weekend with only 'minor details' left to sign later this week.
Pochettino may allegedly be in attendance when Chelsea square off against the Premier League title-chasing Gunners, although it remains to be seen whether that will occur given the attention that it would take away from what is an important fixture.
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When Pochettino, in theory, arrives in June, it is suggested that he will have a major say in which players will be allowed to leave Chelsea in the summer.
Major cutbacks must take place in order to reduce playing numbers and boost Chelsea's position with FFP, a result of a recently-announced £121m loss and spending over £600m across two transfer windows.
In recent days, Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have each been linked with Inter Milan, while Mateo Kovacic is said to be ready to depart for a new challenge.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may also leave on a free transfer, even though Lampard has hinted that the out-of-favour striker could be handed a recall versus his former club on Tuesday.
Darren Plant
