Argentine Pochettino, 51, will take over from interim boss Frank Lampard on July 1.

Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League last season and were way off qualifying for Europe next season.

"Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board," Chelsea's owners said in a statement.

Pochettino, who favours a high-pressing and attacking style of play, garnered a reputation for fostering young talent and led Southampton to an eighth-placed finish in his first full season in England before joining Spurs in 2014.

He faces a huge tasked in reviving Chelsea's fortunes, however.

The London club won the Champions League in 2021, but ended this season without any silverware and stumbled towards their worst campaign since 1993/94 - when they finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle - despite their new US owners' massive outlay on players.

Pochettino is the third permanent Chelsea manager since their sale in 2022 to a consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm.

Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were both sacked during the season which finished on Sunday.

At the time of Lampard's appointment, co-controlling owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said the ex-Chelsea midfielder was brought in on an interim basis so the club could conduct a "thorough and exhaustive process" to hire a permanent manager.

Chelsea lost eight of their 11 matches under Lampard and finished the season with 44 points, their lowest total in the Premier League era.

Pochettino has been linked with some of the biggest clubs in European soccer since leaving Tottenham in 2019, including Manchester United and Real Madrid.

He won the French title with PSG, but left last year and has been out of work until now.

"Mauricio's experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea well as we move forward," Chelsea sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said in a statement.

"He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate."

But the Argentine will have his work cut out. Lampard used his final press conference - after the 1-1 draw with Newcastle - to speak bluntly about what Pochettino can expect.

Lampard said he saw immediately that "standards collectively have dropped".

"We are not physically competitive enough. Also, we'll have the capability now to get the squad in the place he wants it to be. That's going to be some work as well.

"The squad has been too big and that the biggest challenge I have found day to day is coming in and trying to work with big numbers and players who, for whatever reason, are disillusioned that they are not playing or they might be leaving. Those situations can be sorted out now - and they need to be."

There are likely to be more departures than arrivals in the coming months as Pochettino gets to grips with a bloated squad.

Chelsea bought eight new players in January's transfer window and had a further 21 out on loan during the second half of the season.

With AP

Australian Associated Press