Mauricio Pochettino Announced as PSG Manager After Thomas Tuchel Sacked

Paris Saint-Germain formally announced former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager Saturday.

Pochettino replaces Thomas Tuchel, who was fired in late December.

Tuchel, who was dismissed following a 4-0 victory over Strasbourg on Dec. 23, guided PSG to six domestic trophies over the past two seasons, including a pair of Ligue 1 championships.

The 47-year-old German was unable to deliver a Champions League title to the Parc des Princes, however, and that was likely a factor in his exit, alongside the side's sluggish start to the current domestic term despite an appearance in the 2020 UCL final.

Pochettino spent five years with Spurs after previous managerial stops at Espanyol and Southampton. His tenure with the north London club included an appearance in the 2019 Champions League final.

He's expected to include Miguel D'Agostino, Jesus Perez, Toni Jimenez and his son, Sebastiano Pochettino, on his coaching staff, per Ben Nagle of the Daily Mail.

The 48-year-old former central defender, who made a stop at PSG as a player from 2001 through 2003, will inherit a star-studded roster led by Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Paris Saint-Germain earned a berth in the Champions League knockout stages but drew a tough round-of-16 matchup against Barcelona. That will be the first major test of Pochettino's stay with the Parisians, with fixtures scheduled for Feb. 16 and Mar. 10.

It's not his only task as PSG prepares to open the 2021 portion of its schedule Wednesday with a league match against Saint-Etienne, though.

The club is a point behind both Lyon and Lille in the Ligue 1 standings, and it faces Marseille in the Trophee des Champions final on Jan. 13.

So the pressure will immediately fall on Pochettino's shoulders to get the club back into peak form for the second half of the campaign.