Mauricio Pochettino Admits He Tried to Sign USMNT Midfielder to Chelsea

The Argentine parted ways with Chelsea at the end of the 2023–24 season before becoming the new USMNT boss.

Mauricio Pochettino revealed the USMNT player he almost signed to Chelsea. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

Even before Mauricio Pochettino took charge of the USMNT, the ex-Chelsea manager had his eye on one of the Stars and Stripes' most impactful midfielders.

Two months after parting ways with Gregg Berhalter, U.S. Soccer announced Pochettino as the new U.S. men's national team head coach. Following his departure from Chelsea, the 52-year-old was among the biggest targets to lead the USMNT ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The manager met and trained with his new squad, featuring USMNT veterans Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream, for the first time during the October international break. The team defeated Panama 2–0 before losing to Mexico for the first time since 2019.

One month later, Pochettino called up 20 of the same players to his squad for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. One name missing from both rosters, though, was Tyler Adams, someone Pochettino revealed he wanted to bring to Chelsea last season.

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"I know [Adams] very well because I think it's public that we wanted to sign him in Chelsea," Pochettino said in a press conference. "When we arrived in Chelsea, I remember that in the USA, in Chicago, we had a conversation. We knew and after, the club didn't sign him because he was injured."

Adams suffered a hamstring injury at the end of Bournemouth's 2022–23 campaign that kept him off the pitch for all but three Premier League games the following season. Without the long-term issue, Adams possibly could have found himself on a Chelsea team that endured a tumultuous 2023–24 season under Pochettino; the Blues only managed a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, sending the club to the UEFA Conference League thanks to Manchester United's FA Cup title.

Even though the transfer never happened, Adams still gets to work with the Argentine, but only once the midfielder reaches full match fitness for both club and country.

"We know how important [Adams is] but we need to provide the good platform for him to get [to] his best," Pochettino added.

With all his focus on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Pochettino is not taking any risks with the former USMNT captain. Instead, he will rely on Weston McKennie to lead the midfield against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.

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