Mauricio Pochettino opens up on failed Chelsea move for USMNT star Tyler Adams

Former Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino has opened up on the club’s failed move for USA midfielder Tyler Adams during the 2023 summer transfer window.

Pochettino is now managing Adams in the USA national side, after taking up the role of head coach after Gregg Berhalter was sacked after a dismal Copa America, and has spoken about the failed Adams move to reporters this week.

The 25-year-old suffered a hamstring injury at the end of Leeds United’s 2022/23 campaign that kept him off the pitch for all but three Premier League games the following season after he had moved to Bournemouth.

But without that issue there is every chance Adams, who has won 42 caps for his country, would have ended up playing under Pochettino at Stamford Bridge after a move to Chelsea fell through.

The Blues endured a largely tumultuous 2023/24 season under Pochettino as they finished sixth in the Premier League, leading the Argentine to walk away from the role and eventually take over the US job.

Speaking about Adams this week, the former Tottenham and PSG boss explained what went wrong and how the USMNT can now look to benefit from a fully fit Adams.

Pochettino said: “I know very well him because I think it’s public that we wanted to sign him in Chelsea. When we arrived in Chelsea, I remember that in USA, in Chicago, we had a conversation.

“We knew and after, the club didn’t sign him because he was injured. That is why, in the end, we cannot but we already know and we know how important but we need to provide the good platform for him to get [to] his best.”

Chelsea ended up signing Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo that summer instead, while Adams played only three games for the Cherries as he struggled to recover from the hamstring issue.

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