"It's a bit of a shambles" – Gabriel Agbonlahor rips into Chelsea as they edge closer to finalizing new manager

Former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor has hit out at Chelsea's decision to appoint former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new full-time manager.

The Blues have been on the hunt for a full-time head coach since sacking Graham Potter earlier this month. Since then, they have appointed Frank Lampard as their interim manager and have lost five matches in a row.

According to Football Insider, Pochettino has reached an agreement with Chelsea to become their new boss. He is set to be joined by his former PSG and Tottenham Hotspur assistants, Jesus Perez and Toni Jimenez, in June.

Speaking to the aforementioned publication, Agbonlahor cast his doubts on Pochettino's pedigree amid recent links. He said:

"He didn't win anything at Spurs, he went to PSG – and won a league title, which any manager could do. It's a bit of a shambles at Chelsea. One minute it's [Julian] Nagelsmann, then [Luis] Enrique – now it's Pochettino."

Slamming the Blues' decision-making process, Agbonlahor continued:

"I'd love to have watched all of their interviews live. What's the process in appointing this new manager? I really don't know how Pochettino can even be in Chelsea's thinking. Spurs haven't even looked at him as a serious option. They've not gone for him even though he's available right now."

Mauricio Pochettino urged to pick Chelsea over Tottenham Hotspur

Speaking on talkSPORT, former Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has urged Mauricio Pochettino to join the Blues instead of returning to Tottenham Hotspur. He elaborated:

"I'm thinking, I've never seen anything like it. I couldn't believe it. No disrespect, but you can't put somebody like [Cristian Stellini] in charge. I remember when [Antonio] Conte left and I said, 'You mark my words – you have a listen at what he said – that dressing room's gotta be decimated, gotta be gutted'.

"I wouldn't envy anybody coming in there now. If Pochettino's got any sense he'd go to Chelsea [because] all they need is a centre-forward."

Pochettino, who won three trophies at PSG, helped Tottenham finish second in the Premier League in 2017 and guided them to the UEFA Champions League final in 2019. He boasted a 54.6% win rate during his time at Spurs.

The Blues were in talks with Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann over their vacant managerial seat earlier this month. Vincent Kompany was also on their shortlist but he is currently all but out of the running for the London job.