Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the club's new manager.
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain head coach emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Graham Potter following a second round of talks with the ailing Premier League club's hierarchy.
Pochettino is said to have impressed with his vision for a club which has endured a turbulent 12 months which has seen a change of ownership, swiftly followed by an unprecedented spending spree.
The 51-year-old is understood to have delivered his verdict on a number of the club's expensive new recruits and also pressed home the importance of providing opportunities to the club's homegrown talents.
Despite the Todd Boehly-led investment, Chelsea have endured a miserable season, finishing just 12th in the Premier League - closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places.
Potter was appointed in September following the shock decision to part company with Thomas Tuchel, but the former Brighton boss failed to convince in the role and was sacked following a turgid home defeat against Aston Villa.
Frank Lampard was placed in charge until the end of the campaign, but the club legend has failed to steady the ship and lost six straight games before beating AFC Bournemouth, with a Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid.
Keen to avoid the mistakes of Potter's appointment, Chelsea have undertaken a thorough and extensive search to hire his permanent replacement.
Julian Nagelsmann was earmarked as the early favourite, but the former Bayern Munich boss pulled out of the running amid concerns over Chelsea's recruitment strategy.
Burnley's Vincent Kompany, Celtic's Ange Postecoglou, Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim and Carlo Ancelotti were all considered, but Pochettino's availability and determination to return to the Premier League having missed out on the Manchester United job last summer won out.
Reacting to confirmation of Pochettino's appointment owners Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, José E. Feliciano, Mark Walter and Hansjörg Wyss said: 'The sporting team conducted a diligent and thoughtful process that the Board is proud of. We are delighted that Mauricio will be joining Chelsea.
'Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board.'
Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea's co-sporting directors, added: 'Mauricio's experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward.
'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.'
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