Mauricio Pochettino addresses Tottenham ‘past’ in vow to Chelsea FC fans
The Argentine on Monday began work at the club, returning to the Premier League for the first time since being sacked by Spurs in late 2019.
Pochettino – who has previously insisted multiple times that he wanted to return to Spurs – says he is “proud” of his past but is now only focused on restoring Chelsea to the top of the game.
“I know very well that we need to build this relationship,” Pochettino told the club’s official website. “Our past is our past, we respect and are proud of our past, but now is time to build at a new club, with different fans that behave and are different to other clubs.
“That is our responsibility to build a very good relationship with our new fans. We hope we can create as soon as possible this good feeling, but I know very well we need to create this good feeling around the signals the team sends to them.
“We need to be team that shows togetherness, cares about the club, cares about the fans, and that fights until the end for the badge. That’s the most important thing.
“The fans need to feel that all the players involved in the game are going to die for the club. That is the most important thing to create this good feeling and for sure feel proud of each other.”
Pochettino has already interacted with some Chelsea fans, with his appointment being confirmed last month.
He continued: “I’ve already had some contact with fans on the street here in London and in Barcelona where I was. People are really excited about the future of the club, and we are excited too.
“What we can promise is to work hard and defend this shirt until the end. We are going to try do everything for them to feel proud and to show that we really, really care. That is what we can promise.”