Backroom shake-up at Chelsea? Mauricio Pochettino set for reunion with sporting director and close friend he worked with at Tottenham and Espanyol

Although Chelsea already has two sports directors in charge of the team, there has been criticism that Chelsea needs a director of football to take over and manage all aspects of contract negotiations and hiring. Mucho Deporte [via SportsWitness] claims that Chelsea may move to reconnect Pochettino with Planes. Because of his connection to the Argentine, it is assumed that "if Pochettino remains at Chelsea, Planes will leave [Betis] in June."

Planes' current contract with the Spanish team is for three years and has a number of renewal and permanency provisions. However, it appears that if Chelsea continues to support Pochettino, then it is quite likely that they will also want to sign Planes. Betis are said to be alert to the potential move but are waiting to see what the developments are with the Blues' coaching situation.

Beyond their personal lives, Pochetinno and Planes' spouses share a strong bond, demonstrating the "excellent" nature of their relationship. The two have frequently collaborated due to their personal connection and familial links; this was the case at Espanyol and then at Tottenham, where Planes was a member of the setup during Pochettino's tenure as manager from 2014 to 2019.

Over the last couple of years, Chelsea have been a club under development and the London giants have seen a lot of changes in the boardroom after Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who was forced into a sale during the Russian-Ukraine war.