Mauricio Pochettino agrees shock USA deal after Chelsea exit to leave England manager race

Mauricio Pochettino is closing in on an agreement to become the new head coach of the United States national team.

The Argentine has been out of work since leaving Chelsea at the end of last season and had been considered as a leading candidate for the vacant England job.

But the 52-year-old is instead now set to lead the USA into a home World Cup in 2026, when they will co-host the tournament along with Mexico and Canada.

The Football Association (FA) last week put Three Lions Under-21 boss Lee Carsley in interim charge of England for next month’s Uefa Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, with a view to him potentially staying in charge throughout the autumn.

Barring any last-minute hitch with the US, Pochettino will now not be available to the FA should they appoint a permanent successor to Gareth Southgate other than Carsley.

Pochettino’s stock is high after he led Chelsea to a sixth-place finish and European qualification with a strong finish to last season, and he would have been well-placed to land another Premier League job in the event of any mid-season sackings.

He was linked with Manchester United soon after he left Chelsea, but new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to stick with Erik ten Hag, who secured a new contract at Old Trafford.

Hiring Pochettino is a coup for the US, who have been looking for a head coach since they sacked Gregg Berhalter after their group-stage exit from a home Copa America in July.

US Soccer had been linked with an ambitious move for Jurgen Klopp, but he is taking a break from management following his Liverpool exit in May.

Pochettino crossed paths with US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker during his time in charge at Southampton, where the latter led the Saints’ academy.

Crocker oversees both the men’s and women’s US national teams and has led the recruitment process to replace Berhalter.

Chelsea will not be due any compensation from US Soccer. The terms of Pochettino’s exit stated that only a top-six Premier League club would have to pay a £5million fee to appoint him within six months of his Stamford Bridge departure.

Pochettino is set to become the most high-profile US coach since Jurgen Klinsmann. The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager left Chelsea by mutual consent at the end of last season, despite a run of five straight wins at the end of the campaign clinching European qualification for the Blues.

In the US he will join Emma Hayes, who left Chelsea after 12 years earlier this summer to become manager of the American women’s national team, quickly guiding them to a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.