- Mauricio Pochettino guided Chelsea to sixth place in his first season in charge
- But he has now left the club by mutual consent following an end-of-season review.
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Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual agreement after just one season in charge.
The 52-year-old Argentine underwent an internal review, led by sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, as well as co-owner Behdad Eghbali, following their 2-1 win over Bournemouth on the final day of the campaign.
That confirmed a sixth-place finish in the Premier League that will take them to Europe next season, but insiders say Chelsea are now targeting a “young” manager as Pochettino’s replacement. Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna is one of those being considered.
Pochettino had dinner with owner and chairman Todd Boehly in London on Friday, the night before the final game of the season, but was offered no guarantees about what would happen to him next week.
In meetings with Winstanley, Stewart and Eghbali on Monday and Tuesday, it was agreed that the manager and the club should part ways despite still having a year left on his contract.
Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual agreement after just one season in charge
Former Tottenham boss leaves Stamford Bridge halfway through his two-year contract
The 52-year-old Argentine underwent an internal review, led by sporting directors Paul Winstanley (left) and Laurence Stewart (right), as well as co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
After the decision was made, sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said on the club’s official website: “On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our thanks to Mauricio for his service this season.
“He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the best in his future coaching career.”
Pochettino added: “Thank you to Chelsea’s ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of the history of this football club.”
“The club is now well positioned to continue making progress in the Premier League and Europe in the coming years.”
Coaches Jesús Pérez, Miguel d’Agostino, Toni Jiménez and Sebastiano Pochettino have also left the club.
Chelsea are targeting a “young” manager as Pochettino’s replacement, with Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna one of those being considered after guiding Ipswich to back-to-back promotions.
Pochettino leaves Stamford Bridge having won 27 of his 51 games in charge of the Blues
The decision to release Pochettino comes despite Chelsea’s strong finish to the season, where they finished sixth after five wins in their last five games to secure European football for next season.
Pochettino also guided the Blues to the Carabao Cup final but faced criticism after losing to a very depleted Liverpool side in extra time.
The 52-year-old also led Chelsea to the FA Cup semi-finals and leaves the club having won 27 of his 51 games in charge.
The season was not without its challenges, however, with Chelsea in 11th place after a dismal 4-2 home defeat to Wolves on February 4, but there were significant signs of progress under the Argentine in the last months.
Pochettino becomes the third manager to leave Chelsea since the Boehly-led consortium took over the club in May 2022, following the sackings of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter last season.
Reflecting on his dinner with Boehly last Friday, Pochettino had hinted after Sunday’s final-day victory over Bournemouth that the future was positive.
“It was a very nice dinner together. If I invited you alone and you are me and we have dinner, it’s not bad at all, right?
‘If I need to tell something (bad) I call or say: ‘Let’s go have a coffee’.’
Pochettino had dinner with co-owner Todd Boehly but received no guarantees about his future.
Pochettino’s departure comes despite Chelsea finishing the season with five consecutive victories
Under Pochettino, Chelsea once again invested heavily in the transfer market, with players such as Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku among those joining in spending more than £400m ahead of the campaign.
He upgraded several of the Blues’ young stars as the campaign progressed, and the impressive Chelsea ended a run of one defeat in their last 15 league games.
Their 63 points were also a 19-point improvement on last season, which was the biggest improvement of any club in the top flight.
Pochettino’s coaching career has also seen him manage Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham and PSG and it remains to be seen what’s next for the Argentine.