Pochettino says Tottenham should inherit Chelsea’s 2016/17 Premier League title

Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham should be awarded the 2016/17 Premier League title after Chelsea were punished for financial rule breaches dating back to the Roman Abramovich era.

Chelsea were fined 10 million pounds in July and given a suspended two-window transfer ban after admitting to 74 breaches of Football Association rules concerning agents, intermediaries and third-party investment in players.

The breaches involved a number of transfers, including the deals for Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic. All four players were key members of the Chelsea side managed by Antonio Conte that won the title in 2016/17.

Tottenham finished runners-up, seven points behind Chelsea, but Pochettino said his former club should now be recognised as champions.

“We should win one Premier League, we should have been awarded it,” Pochettino said.

“If that was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure. They were punished, they admitted it? So that’s it. The title should be for the team that was second.”

‘We did not compete under the same rules’

Pochettino argued that Tottenham had not been given the same opportunity to build their squad because they were operating within the regulations.

“We can say that they scored goals, they won games. OK. But it’s completely fair to say that we didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card,” he said.

“Maybe with the same rules, we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals.”

The former Tottenham and Chelsea manager, who now coaches the United States, said he would make the same argument if the circumstances had involved Tottenham.

“I have no doubt and I’m not scared to say the truth. The Chelsea fans will be upset with me but if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules, I’d admit the same: ‘We don’t deserve the title because we broke the rules.’”

Pochettino stressed that his view was not intended to diminish Chelsea’s performances or Conte’s work that season.

“I don’t say that Chelsea didn’t play well, that Conte was not great. I don’t say that. I don’t want the message to be twisted,” he said.

“But if you broke the rules then ciao, you need to give it to another team. I don’t know why that didn’t happen.

“What is being promoted and incentivised is to break the rules.”

Pochettino subsequently managed Chelsea during the 2023/24 season, but said sporting competitions must apply identical rules to every club.

“It’s impossible if only some clubs play with offside and another plays with no offside. Or one plays with VAR and another plays with no VAR,” he said.

“For everyone it needs to be the same rules. And then you have the capacity to create the best team.”

Pochettino remains United States manager after signing a contract extension that will keep him in the role until the 2030 FIFA World Cup.