17 July 2023 , 13:41
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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is considering a move for Harry Maguire.
The England international, 30, could leave Manchester United this summer after he was stripped of the captaincy by Erik ten Hag. Maguire started just eight Premier League games last season and the loss of the armband suggests he's not in Ten Hag's plans.
Maguire still has two years left on his contract and only a handful of clubs will be able to afford his £200,000-a-week salary. Chelsea are one of those clubs and their new boss Pochettino, who was appointed in June, is a long-term admirer of the defender.
Pochettino was interested in signing Maguire seven years ago when he was in charge of Tottenham. The centre-back was playing for Hull at the time and later joined Leicester in a £17million deal in 2017 before completing a £80m switch to United in 2019.
Pochettino's interest in Maguire was revealed by Danny Rose, one of his former players, during an appearance on The Lockdown Tactics podcast in 2020. "I remember we played Hull at White Hart Lane [in December 2016] and we won 3-0," said Rose.
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"Mauricio was manager and the gaffer was all over Harry. I think they [Tottenham] were in for him. Once Poch took a liking to him I started to notice him straight away after that... Training with him for England, you couldn’t get the ball off him. He’s so good."
Pochettino might finally get the chance to manage Maguire after Ten Hag's decision to take the United armband off him. According to The Sun, Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham and Newcastle are all interested in signing the centre-back this summer.
Mauricio Pochettino is a fan of Maguire (PA)Do you think Chelsea should sign Harry Maguire? Let us know in the comments below!
It's believed United want around £50m for Maguire, which could be an issue. There's a chance United will need to drop their asking price and pay some of his £200,000-a-week salary in advance to get him off their books, as he still has two years left on his contract.
Maguire would be a good fit at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea allowed experienced defenders Kalidou Koulibaly and Cesar Azpilicueta to leave the club. Pochettino has just one centre-back over the age of 24 at his disposal - the 38-year-old Thiago Silva.
Pochettino's other options at centre-back are Benoit Badiashile, 22, Trevoh Chalobah, 24, Marc Cucurella, 24, Reece James, 23, Wesley Fofana, 22, Ethan Ampadu, 22, Levi Colwill, 20, and Malang Sarr, 24. Maguire's experience could be priceless for the Blues.
Maguire revealed on social media: "After discussions with the manager today, he has informed me he is changing captain. He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt.
"So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the Man Utd fans for all their brilliant support whilst I’ve been wearing the armband. Since the day I took on the role, three-and-a-half years ago, it’s been a huge privilege to lead Man Utd and one of the proudest moments of my career to date. It’s one of the greatest honours in club football.
"I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful - on and off the field. I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for first giving me the responsibility and I wish whoever now takes it on every success and they will have my full support."