Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual consent after just one season in charge.
Pochettino guided his young side to the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup semi-finals and, despite struggling for much of the season, ended the Premier League with five straight wins and a sixth-place finish. The results are locked in European football. Chelsea finished 12th last season.
A statement released on Tuesday said: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm that the club and Mauricio Pochettino have mutually agreed to part ways.”
Assistant coaches Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Sebastiano Pochettino also left.
Pochettino said: “I would like to thank the Chelsea ownership group and sporting director for giving me the opportunity to be part of this club’s history. The club is now in a good position to continue its progress in the Premier League and Europe in the coming years.”
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Watch for free: Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Bournemouth.
The 52-year-old Argentinian, who has been in charge for just 11 months, was appointed in May last year after a lengthy recruitment process to replace interim manager Frank Lampard, who took over after Graham Potter was sacked in April 2023.
Chelsea spent more than £400m on new players in the summer – many of them under the age of 25 – but also sold players worth almost £250m, including Cesar Azpilicueta, Ngo Kovacic, a senior member of the locker room such as Lo Kante and Mateo, all left.
After Sunday’s final-day defeat to Bournemouth, Pochettino said he did not know whether Chelsea would conduct a reported end-of-season review to decide his future, but decided to resign following talks on Monday.
The club’s sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season.
Chelsea beat Bournemouth on final day of season to finish sixth in Premier League
“We would welcome him back to Stamford Bridge at any time and we wish him all the best in his future coaching career.”
The 51-year-old arrived after a year out of work. He previously spent 18 months at Paris Saint-Germain, winning the Ligue 1 title and coaching Tottenham Hotspur to the 2019 Champions League final in more than five years.
Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Girona boss Michel are reportedly among those The Blues are on the list of possible replacements.
Pochettino will manage the World XI at Football Aid for the second consecutive year in early June, with the charity match taking place at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home.
“Pochettino leaves, history repeats itself”
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Sky Sports News understands Mauricio Pochettino has left Chelsea by mutual agreement, but why is the Argentine leaving?
Sky Sports Chief Correspondent Kave Solkhkol:
“We all know that Mauricio Pochettino has had a pretty difficult season at Stamford Bridge but things seem to have changed. The results are for the better and the fans feel a connection with him and the team.
“But after the end of the season, Mauricio met with Chelsea’s two sporting directors and they decided to put the matter aside for the time being. But in the end both sides felt that they could not move forward and they took different paths.”
“Pochettino revealed he had a recent dinner with Todd Boley which went well but there were some questions behind the scenes. Chelsea is such a big club and there is a lot going on politically.
“Chelsea believe they are a Champions League club. For various reasons they are not there yet. There is no hard feelings between the owner and Mauricio Pochettino, the players love him and the fans love him.
“It’s a job that takes time. The Chelsea manager doesn’t have a lot of time and history seems to be repeating itself under new ownership.”
Poch’s final interview: “My future will be decided by the boss”
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Speaking after Chelsea’s final Premier League game of the season, Mauricio Pochettino claimed his future at the club was out of his control.
Why is Poch leaving now?
Sky Sports Chief Correspondent Kave Solkhkol:
“Pochettino has one year left on his contract and the terms of his contract will be respected.
“One issue is that Chelsea will be playing in the Club World Cup next June (2025), when his contract expires.
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Chelsea have not yet contacted any potential replacements out of respect for outgoing manager Mauricio Pochettino and their search for a new manager has just begun, Kavi Solkhkol has revealed.
“Both Chelsea and Pochettino must therefore decide whether to agree a new deal immediately or part ways.
“Chelsea cannot go into next season with a manager whose contract expires during the Club World Cup.
“The leadership team at Chelsea respect the job that Pochettino has done and the relationship is cordial – they don’t talk to other managers behind Pochettino’s back.
“Players like Thomas Tuchel, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte will not be considered.
“They want a dynamic coach working within a stable structure.”
